Mazembe, a surprise call up to the team, is in the squad courtesy of his High School games heroics which left a number of SportPesa Premier League clubs chasing for his services once he wraps up his studies.
Mazembe’s future looks bright amid the pride to don the national colours.
The 22-man squad largely made up of players who feature in the domestic leagues will be tested to the limits against two team from West Africa, who have something to prove after recent dismal performances.
The team left the country yesterday for Morocco, where they are due to play Morocco and Mauritania tomorrow and Monday next week respectively. They will be under the stewardship of Wazito FC tactician, Frank Ouna.
Goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch is one of the regulars in the Harambee Stars squad that has made the trip to Morocco at the expense of the international friendly against Mozambique. Also included in the team is Oluoch’s team-mates Haron Shakava and Ernest Wendo, who have previously featured for the senior team.
Also making the cut is Sofapaka left back Wesley Onguso, whose memory of his first tour of duty, was not a very pleasant one as it ended with a Hull City player being concussed during the Sportpesa All Stars team tour of England after an aerial collision with the then western Stima defender.
Tusker right back Collins Shivachi and Kariobangi Sharks midfielder Patilla Omoto were also in the team that left the country yesterday morning.
Meanwhile the squad set to play Mozambique in the Fifa friendly match on September 2 extended their stay in camp in preparation for the clash. Under Stanley Okumbi, the team is set to jet out on Thursday for Maputo with the tactician missing key foreign-based players who did not make it to the camp.
Okumbi, however, expressed his confidence in the available players as the foreign-based ones were not guaranteed to turn up in every other call up.
“We will miss them but I am confident the ones I have will deliver. Foreign-based players can miss out because of injuries or other personal issues and this gives a chance to others who are capable of representing the country. We are leaving for Maputo on a mission to get back to our winning ways after the loss to Sierra Leone.”
Okumbi further cleared the rumours in regards to Erick “Marcelo” Ouma’s omission in the squad. “Against Sierra Leone, Marcelo was a bit nervous and slow. He wasn’t the boy we knew before a result which left me and the technical bench with questions over the quality of the Georgian league.
I am sure his omission will make him work harder to regain his position. Meanwhile, we have Aboud Omar.”
US-based David “Cheche” Ochieng said the team is ready to play Mozambique. “We are training for the away game and hopefully, we will win.”
-The Star|MESHACK KISENGE and FRANCIS WADEGU