Duplicate jerseys of the new Harambee Stars kit will go on sale from May 20 ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations that is scheduled to kick off on June 20 in Egypt.
This is after Football Kenya Federation entered a partnership with Italian apparel makers Macron, who will provide the jerseys at a discounted price, before the federation sells it to willing buyers at a profit.
The artwork and design of the new kit is expected to be made public by the end of this week, and fans have been encouraged to book theirs jerseys as soon as possible to avoid disappointments.
Each jersey will go for Sh3,500 and FKF president Nick Mwendwa says that the sale of the jerseys will majorly be done online, but that plans are underway to partner with leading vendors who have expressed interest in stocking the jerseys.
“We have already commissioned the jerseys and we are expecting the first batch next week. The ones for sale will arrive in the next two weeks so by 20th we shall be ready to start selling.
“We shall sell them from our website at first come first serve basis, so it is important for people to book theirs in advance so that we avoid the last minute rush,” he said.
Kitting has been a major issue within the national team and with Harambee Stars qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, it was imperative that the federation comes clear on the type of kits to be used by the players.
This is the second time that Mwendwa’s regime is entering into partnership with an apparel maker after the short-lived Sh75 million partnership with Singapore-based sports apparel company Mafro Sports that was signed in May 2017.
The deal with Mafro was to last three years, but the federation terminated it citing challenges with the manufacturer in terms of capacity to deliver.
It is however unclear where this new deal leaves Harambee Stars sponsors Betin, who had put in Sh5 million (40,000 euros) to cater for national team kits as part of their Sh20 million sponsorship.
Harambee Stars are expected to don the new jerseys when they leave the country on May 31 for a 19-day training camp in France ahead of the Afcon.
The national team will play two friendly matches on June 7 and 15, possibly against Madagascar and Gambia in Paris.
Kenya are pooled in group ‘C’ alongside Algeria, Tanzania and Senegal. They will play tAlgeria in the opening fixture on June 23 at the 30 June stadium in Cairo, before facing Tanzania on June 27 and Senegal on July 1 at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Mwendwa says that his office is yet to receive the Sh26 million that has reportedly been advanced by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to all qualified teams to aid in their preparations.