NAIROBI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's women's national football team is in the prime position heading into the regional CECAFA Championship in Kigali, Rwanda, as head coach David Ouma said everyone expects Kenya's team, the Harambee Starlets, to be successful.
"Of course pressure is on us to win. That is what everyone expects from this team. We have been to the Africa Women's Cup of Nations in 2016 and we lost narrowly to Equatorial Guinea during the 2018 campaign," Ouma said in Nairobi on Tuesday.
The coach is happy with the fitness level of his players as they resumed training after breaking camp for one month. He confirmed that 23 players have reported to the camp with three more set to check in later on Tuesday.
The CECAFA Women's Championship will be held in Kigali from July 19-27. Kenya will take on Uganda in the opening match, on the first day of competition. The match is a repeat of their Africa Women's Cup of Nations qualifier, in which the Harambee Starlets beat Uganda 1-0 only to lose to Equatorial Guinea 3-2 later in the qualification process.
Kenya will then face Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda in the five-nation tournament, set to be played in a round-robin format.
Players not at the training camp on Tuesday morning were Neddy Atieno, Elizabeth Wambui and Dorris Anyango. "Neddy was attending a military progression course but will report back to camp in time for afternoon training. Dorris (Anyango) and Elizabeth (Wambui) requested some time off due to family commitments, and will be joining us in due course," Ouma said.
The coach said it was important to have the players focused on the competition and look at themselves as champions. "The players are in good shape both physically and mentally, and I am optimistic that we will get a positive outcome in Rwanda."
