New Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has handed a lifeline to the South African-based defender after including him in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
South African-based Brian Onyango Mandela is among players who have earned a call-up to the Harambee Stars squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
New coach Benni McCarthy has been sounding out players set to make his first squad as Harambee Stars tactician since his unveiling on Monday ahead of the World Cup qualifiers that will see Kenya face both the Gambia and Gabon this month.
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Perhaps owing to his background as a South African, McCarthy, who has had a closer look of Onyango during his years in the country, has opted to include him into his squad despite the centre-back playing just seven matches across all competitions for his club Stellenbosch FC this season.
“Onyango is set to return to international football after being named in the Harambee Stars’ squad for this month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon on 20 and 23 March, respectively,” Stellenbosch confirmed the defender’s call-up via a statement on their website.
“The veteran defender last featured in October 2023 during a friendly against Russia and boasts 39 international caps to his name since making his debut back in 2011.”
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Onyango last featured for Kenya on October 12, 2023 during their thrilling 2-2 draw with Russia in a friendly match, having also played 90 minutes in their 1-0 loss to South Sudan in Nairobi, a month earlier.
Since then, injuries and poor form have conspired to lock him out of the national team but he has now received a major boost with the latest call-up.
The defender joined Stellenbosch at the start of this season after three frustrating years with perennial South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, where he won three league titles, but struggled for game time due to injuries.
His situation has not changed much in Stellenbosch, where he has just seven games under his belt, with three league appearances despite not being injured, and played his first PSL match in two months on Wednesday when they won 1-0 against Marumo Gallants.
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McCarthy is hoping to start his reign with wins as he plays away to the Gambia on March 20 before hosting Gabon three days later.
