End of agonising wait as Harambee Stars qualify for the 2019 AFCON finals

Kenya’s national football team, Harambee Stars are officially through to the 2019 African Cup of Nations finals after CAF disqualified Sierra Leone and annulled all its matches.

The ruling, in essence,  means that the Stars advance to the showpiece, the outcome of their final group game against Ghana away, not withstanding.

“The CAF Executive Committee at its meeting on Friday, 30 November 2018 in Accra decided on the case of Sierra Leone in the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“Sierra Leone is disqualified from the qualifiers and all its matches are annulled,” CAF said in a statement published on its official website on Monday.

Ahead of its final match, Stars top the group on 7 points, one ahead of Ghana while Ethiopia is rock bottom on one point.

Stars qualification, widely anticipated ever since the world football governing body suspended Sierra Leone citing their government’s interference in its football activities, has been warmly received in Kenya, with President Uhuru Kenyatta sending his congratulatory message.

Deputy President William Ruto had pledged to reward the team with Ksh 50 million if they qualified for the showpiece.