Harambee Starlets duo reveal lessons from WAFCON residential camp
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 19.02.26. | 07:26
Akinyi was among the players initially called up on 30 January, when coach Odemba named a 23-member squad for a one-week mini-camp to kick-start Kenya’s preparations for the 2026 WAFCON
Harambee Starlets duo, Diana Shakava and Purity Akinyi, have opened up on the valuable lessons they are drawing from the national team’s ongoing residential camp ahead of the upcoming Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
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Shakava, the Ulinzi Starlets defender and captain, and Akinyi, a striker for Shabana Starlets, say the technical bench has played an instrumental role in their growth during the preparations in camp ahead of the tournament set for Morocco.
Shakava, who is making a return to the national team fold, says the environment has given her an opportunity to learn from top-level coaches and experienced teammates, something she believes has elevated her game.
“The camp is good, from the way we are interacting, and we are also getting to know each other and learn from the best, the best coaches and the best players,” she explained.
The experienced defender, who has spent more than five years in the top flight, hopes to make her first continental appearance representing Kenya.
“I am anticipating leaving here as a better player and, God willing, if I make the squad to AFCON, I will thank God for that,” she added.
Her counterpart Akinyi, who earned promotion to the main squad after impressing Beldine Odemba and her technical bench during the mini-camp held in late January, echoed similar sentiments.
Akinyi is the only player from the Women’s National Super League (WNSL) to make the provisional squad.
“The training has been amazing, from the mini-camp to now. At least I am seeing great improvement. There are a lot of things I have learnt, and I see myself becoming a better player,” she said.
She credited discipline and hard work for her journey from grassroots football to the Rising Starlets set-up and now to the verge of representing the country at continental level.
“The experience has been good. It is also about trusting in yourself. It has not been easy, you have to push yourself from the grassroots to this level. It has not been easy; it is just hard work,” she noted.
Akinyi was among the players initially called up on 30 January, when coach Odemba named a 23-member squad for a one-week mini-camp to kick-start Kenya’s preparations for the 2026 WAFCON.
The camp, exclusively made up of locally based players, ran from February 1 to February 6 and formed part of the national team’s long-term build-up to the continental finals scheduled for March 17 to April 3 in Morocco.
The initiative aimed to widen the Starlets’ talent pool and increase competition for places as the countdown to WAFCON gathers pace.
On 12 February , Odemba named a 34-member provisional squad for the final phase of preparations, with ten players from the local-based mini-camp earning inclusion.