The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has finally made a breakthrough in their negotiations to appoint Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy as Kenya’s new men’s senior national team head coach, Sportswire has established.

The role has been vacant since December last year after long-serving mentor Engin Firat downed tools, citing unpaid salaries which saw his three-year relationship with the Harambee Stars come to an abrupt end.

Kenya’s football governing body considered multiple job candidates, but the South African national team’s all-time top goal scorer emerged as a frontrunner for newly installed FKF President Hussein Mohamed.

Reports emerged in December and indicated that McCarthy was imminently expected to take over the reins at the East African nation, however, an agreement was not reached and a deal never materialized at the time with the two parties deadlocked in negotiations.

Now, a well-placed source has told this publication that the former Manchester United striker’s coach held fresh talks with the federation last week and the two parties are understood to have reached an agreement.

Having held positive discussions on terms, McCarthy is set to be announced as the new man in charge soon. This will be his first national team post after stints with Cape Town City and AmaZulu in the SA elite league.

The 47-year-old tactician will be tasked with guiding Kenya to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Harambee Stars are currently in fourth place after four matches played in group F and accumulated five points – trailing leaders Ivory Coast with as many points.

Kenya will travel to Gambia on 19 March before hosting second-placed Gabon three days later. After the World Cup qualifiers, they will play their next competitive match against Angola in CHAN, which has been postponed to August and will be co-hosted by Kenya.