McCarthy summons the Harambee Stars’ defender from South Africa

Brian Onyango Mandela, a defender from South Africa, has been added to the Harambee Stars roster for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers by newly hired Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy.

With important World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and the Gambia coming up this month, McCarthy has been evaluating players since taking over as coach on Monday in order to choose his first team.

It’s possible that McCarthy’s choice to pick Onyango in his team was influenced by his acquaintance with the center-back due to his South African heritage.

This is in spite of the fact that, according to Pulse Sports, Onyango has only made seven appearances for Stellenbosch FC this season across all competitions.

Stellenbosch confirmed the call-up on their official website, saying, “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.”

“The seasoned defender has 39 international caps since making his debut back in 2011 and last played in a friendly match against Russia in October 2023.”

After Kenya lost 1-0 to South Sudan in Nairobi one month earlier, Onyango made his final appearance for Kenya on October 12, 2023, in a 2-2 friendly draw against Russia.

But until his current call-up, which represents a major turning point for the player, a combination of ailments and bad play had prevented him from playing for the national team.

After three disappointing seasons with Mamelodi Sundowns, where he won titles but struggled for regular playing time due to injuries, the defender joined Stellies at the beginning of this season.

Despite not being hurt, Onyango has only featured in seven games in the Western Cape, thus his circumstances haven’t altered much.