Harambee Starlets blaze past Burundi in Cecafa tournament

Harambee Starlets began their 2025 Cecafa Senior Women's Championship campaign in style with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burundi at the Azam Sports Complex in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Sunday.

Midfielder Martha Amunyolet starred with a quickfire brace in the 2nd and 5th minutes, while substitute Faith Mboya sealed the win with a late goal to ensure a perfect start for Kenya.

Kenya, under the guidance of head coach Beldine Odemba, will now face Uganda on Tuesday at the same venue in their second match of the round robin tournament. 

Burundi, who had stunned defending champions Uganda 1-0 in their opening match, were no match for the Starlets and have now lost all three of their encounters against Kenya.

The opener came from a long clearance by goalkeeper Annedy Kundu that found Amunyolet. Despite close marking from defenders Annonciatte Nshimirimana and Rukiya Bizimana, Amunyolet outpaced them and chipped the advancing goalkeeper to give Kenya the lead.

The second goal also stemmed from a defensive lapse by Burundi. Captain Vivian Nasaka delivered a pinpoint long pass to Amunyolet, who beat the keeper Faida Habimana with a one-touch finish.

Mboya, who replaced winger Emily Morang’a in the 62nd minute, added the third. After Alice Mideri’s shot hit the post, fellow substitute Janet Mumo pounced on the rebound and teed up Mboya, who rifled home from distance.

Debutantes Medina Abubakar and Swaum Musingu also featured in the match, with Musingu replacing Morang’a in the 62nd minute and Abubakar making way for Mumo in the 74th.

Amunyolet was deservedly named Player of the Match and awarded Tsh 250,000 (Ksh 12,000) for her stellar performance.

Burundi, coached by Olivier Niyunnkeko, made an early tactical change in the 32nd minute by introducing striker Joelle Bukuru for Adolphine Salum, but it had little impact. Their forwards lacked precision, allowing Kenyan goalkeeper Kundu a relatively quiet afternoon.

Starlets assistant coach Godfrey Oduor said:

"It was a very tough game, but we thank God we managed to get the win. We took time to study our opponents in the first half, and that helped us develop a game plan that led to the victory."

Burundi head coach Olivier Niyunkeko added: "We didn’t have a good game today because we didn’t get a chance to train yesterday (Saturday), so the team wasn’t in the best condition to compete.

These tournaments are important — every team is well prepared and eager to win. For us, we are continuing to compete and gain experience through these matches."

Other teams in the competition are Tanzania and South Sudan. The top two teams at the end of the round robin matches will face off in the final.  

Harambee Starlets' Cecafa Fixtures (All at Azam Sports Complex, Tanzania):

Kenya vs Uganda – June 17, 7pm

Kenya vs South Sudan – June 19, 0pm

Tanzania vs Kenya – June 21, 6pm