Harambee Stars suffer CHAN blow as Mohammed Bajaber joins Tanzania’s Simba SC
Bajaber is set to leave the national team camp to join Simba’s pre-season tour in Egypt after signing a two-year deal with the Tanzanian record champions.
Kenya’s Harambee Stars have suffered a major setback ahead of their African Nations Championship (CHAN) opener following the departure of attacking midfielder Mohammed Bajaber, who has signed with Tanzanian giants Simba SC.
His move rules him out of the continental tournament, which is exclusively for players active in their domestic leagues.
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Bajaber is set to leave the national team camp to join Simba’s pre-season tour in Egypt after signing a two-year deal with the Tanzanian record champions.
Media reports indicate Simba beat local rivals Azam FC to secure the midfielder’s signature in a multi-million-shilling transfer.
His exit comes just five days before Kenya’s Group B opener against two-time CHAN winners DR Congo, scheduled for August 3.
In response, Head Coach Benni McCarthy has called up midfielder Brian Michira as a late replacement.
Growing selection challenges
Bajaber’s departure adds to McCarthy’s growing selection challenges, marking the third key player lost during the CHAN buildup.
Forwards Emmanuel Osoro and Moses Shummah also exited the squad earlier this month after completing transfers to Zambian clubs.
McCarthy had previously defended Bajaber’s place in the squad despite concerns about his fitness, saying the player had been undergoing personal training to regain match readiness.
“Bajaber got injured before we went to Morocco. My decision is that he is a good, young player who broke the system and quickly developed into a powerhouse,” McCarthy told journalists on July 16.
“If you have those kinds of players, you give them every opportunity to be available for the squad because you cannot afford to lose players like that. It would be silly of me to let him train every day and lose him to injury days before CHAN, so we give him every possibility to be available.”
The 23-year-old had a standout 2023/24 season, playing a pivotal role in Kenya Police FC’s historic Premier League title win—their first ever.
His performances earned him a call-up to the national team, and he marked his debut with a goal during Kenya’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against The Gambia in March.
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