AFCON U20: Kenya U20 midfielder highlights missing ingredient in English League One attacker
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 08.04.25. | 15:32
The 20-year-old featured in two Kenya U20 friendlies against Kariobangi Sharks and the Kenya Police U20s
Kenya U20 midfielder Kevin Wangaya says teammate Zech Obiero is showing progress in his “combination play” a week after linking up with the squad preparing to make their debut at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Egypt later this month.
Wangaya, speaking on Monday, said his fellow midfielder had got up to speed with the Kenyan game, having initially raised concern about how “challenging” it was “to adapt to different playing styles.”
He's arrived and ready to put in the work! 💪⚽️ Welcome, Zech Obiero! 👋#RisingStars pic.twitter.com/oi02p03Txf
— Harambee Stars (@Harambee__Stars) April 3, 2025
Days after jetting in from English League One side Leyton Orient, 20-year-old Obiero said: “I think the most challenging part for me has been adjusting to the different playing styles.
Where I usually play, it’s a certain style, and then coming here with Kenya, it’s a different approach."
But now with a pair of games under his belt - Obeiro featured in friendly matches against FKF Premier League side Kariobangi Sharks and Kenya Police U20 - Wangaya says he looks better off.
“He is playing well,” Wangaya told FKF Media when asked about Obiero’s progress. “The only thing left is his combination play, which we are working on during training.
Staying and playing together has given us the opportunity to direct him on what he needs to do, what to improve on, where to cover, and how he needs to play with the team. I think he is better now, than he was in the first days, since we had never played together.”
Obiero, who earned his first national team call up last year but withdrew, is one of a number of foreign-based faces that have joined Salim Babu’s squad during their month-long training camp.
The latest entrant on Monday was keeper Obida Kramer, who features for the ADO Den Haag U21 team.
The new goalkeeper ( in dreadlocks) in the Rising Stars camp is Caleb Obida Kramer. He plays for ADO Den Haag U21 team in the Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/w686Nni2yo
— Meshack Kisenge (@kisengemeshack1) April 7, 2025
On how the new players were being integrated within the team, Wangaya said: “I think they have seen the love and bond we have and felt comfortable and loved.
They are pushing on well, just like the rest of us.”
Kenya, drawn in Group C alongside Senegal, Zambia, and Sierra Leone, will head out for an extra 10-day training camp in Morocco in the coming days before going for more history.
