Exclusive: Joseph Okumu Rallies Kenya to Raise Game as Zimbabwe coach Wary of Cameroon

Kenya international Joseph Okumu believes Harambee Stars can get their first victory of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign against Namibia if they raise their game on Tuesday, September 10, at Orlando Stadium in South Africa.

The East African nation kicked off their campaign to qualify for a seventh appearance at the AFCON finals in Morocco with a drab 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe in a Group J fixture at the Stade Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday, September 6.

With Cameroon beating Namibia 1-0 courtesy of a second half goal from Vincent Aboubakar at Roumde Adjia Stadium on Saturday, September 7, to take control of the group, Kenya will require to strive for positive results to stand a chance of reaching the 35th edition of the biennial African football tournament in the North African nation.

Kenya Will Bounce Back Against Namibia

Okumu, who captained the side against the Warriors in the absence of lead striker Michael Olunga, believes Harambee Stars will secure their first win against the Brave Warriors but only if “we raise our game a little bit.”

“We came here looking for a win against Zimbabwe but we have only managed a draw, it is not a bad result, though it was not the kind of start we were looking for, we wanted to start with a win but a draw is a fair result considering how both teams played,” Okumu, who features for French Ligue 1 outfit Stade de Reims, told SportsBoom.com.

“We don’t want to dwell much on what happened against Zimbabwe, the game is now a past tense, and our focus is on the Namibia game, we need to get ready for the game, we need to raise a few things, and we will get a positive result, I know it is possible and we can do it.”

The 27-year-old Okumu continued: “It is not difficult to win or beat Namibia, we will do our best, we just call on Kenyans to continue supporting us, we know Namibia will also be coming for a win, it makes the game interesting (two teams eager to win), but definitely we will try our best to get the win.”

Okumu, who locally played for Chemelil Sugar in the Kenyan Premier League, was making a comeback to the Harambee Stars squad having missed the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Burundi and Ivory Coast owing to an injury.

Zimbabwe coach Michael Nees has labelled Cameroon as a “different calibre” ahead of their matchday two fixture of the AFCON qualifiers at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala, Uganda on Tuesday, September 10.

Speaking after the 0-0 draw against Kenya, the 57-year-old German tactician admitted playing against the Indomitable Lions will need a different approach than how they played against Harambee Stars.

“We performed good against Kenya, good but not great from the defensive point of view, so first of all we need to recover, the players need two days to get their legs fresh and then third day you cannot train something but now we have one day before the next game and we cannot do much,” said Nees.

“We need to analyse our game against Kenya, of course they need to apply intelligence, experience to rectify mistakes and improve on key areas but for sure we will have to improve against Cameroon a few things, Cameroon is a different calibre if they come with their best team, there is no doubt about that.”

Giving his thoughts on the Kenya game, Nees said: “It was our first game, and we wanted to win but we were caught in between a win and a draw, but I am happy from the defensive point of view we didn’t concede a goal.

“At the beginning we looked a little bit crampy, not so light I don’t know if it was caused by a little bit excitement, you know playing your first AFCON group game, so at the beginning, the legs were a little bit heavy but I think the longer the game progressed, we grew in confidence but we have a lot of space for improvement, no doubt about it.”

Nees added: “Kenya is a difficult opponent to play against, we anticipated exactly how they played, they want to drag you out, make a mistake in your pressing then they come and over play you then they are very strong in running and then they beat you and again they hardly concede a goal and if they score against you, it is going to be very difficult against them.

“That is how they (Kenya) collected a point against Ivory Coast (in the World Cup qualifiers), that is how they have played in the last six matches, I think we can be satisfied with the draw, if I am honest maybe we could have deserved a win a little more, but there are two times our heavy legs saved us from defeat.”

As it stands, the Indomitable Lions are leading Group J with three points, Kenya are second with one, Zimbabwe third with one while Namibia is fourth without a point.