Stars are stranded in Conakry

Harambee Stars failed to return to Nairobi on Tuesday morning from Guinea as planned following flight problems in the Guinea capital, Conakry.

According to Jack Oguda, the joint KFF/KPL Harambee Stars management Committee secretary, the contingent was scheduled to leave Conakry on Monday evening aboard Bellevue Airlines of Nigeria for Lagos via Abidjan before catching a Kenya Airways flight for Nairobi.

But only 15 members of the 31-strong travelling group managed to secure seats for the flight to Lagos, only to miss the connection to Nairobi because of arriving late.

Oguda said the flight from Conakry had been overbooked and the situation was exacerbated when the Kenyan team was “misdirected” by airline officials to the wrong side of the airport while other passengers boarded.

“We are in the process of trying to get them back by tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with Kenya Airways from Lagos,” Oguda said.

The group that remained in Conakry on Monday had not confirmed their flight out by Tuesday noon, according to Gishinge Njoroge, a Kenyan journalist writer who travelled with the team.

The group that made it to Lagos are Francis Kimanzi, Yusuf Chipo, James Nandwa, Dennis Oliech, Jamal Mohammed, Robert Mambo, Patrick Oboya, Mulinge Ndeto, Noah Ayuko, Kevin Ochieng, Austin Makacha, John Njoroge, George Owino and Allan Wanga.

According to Oguda, Macdonald Mariga secured a connecting flight to his base in Italy while the rest of the European-based professionals were scheduled to connect from Nairobi.
Kenya were in Conakry for a World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.

Sports Minister Helen Sambili, who travelled to Conakry for the match, proceeded to Ghana for an international conference.

Harambee Stars lost 2-3 to Guinea to surrender the summit position in Group Two to the hosts, but still qualified for the final group phase as one of the best second placed finishers.

The 12 group winners and eight best runners up will be placed in five pools of four teams each. Group winners will earn a ticket to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The draw is scheduled for October 22 in Zurich.

Dennis Oliech is amongst the leading scorers with five goals. Moumouni Dagana of Burkina Faso tops the lists with seven goals followed by Razak Omotoyossi of Benin with six.

The qualified teams thus far in the competition are Cameroon (from Group One), Guinea, Kenya (Group Two), Benin (Group Three), Nigeria (Group Four), Ghana, Gabon (Group Five), Algeria (Group Six), Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique (Group Seven), Morocco, Rwanda (Group Eight), Burkina Faso, Tunisia (Group Nine), Mali, Sudan (Group 10), Zambia, Togo (Group 11), Egypt, Malawi (Group 12).