Africa-Press – Kenya. Duke Abuya is back in Kenya colours — and the midfield ace says he’s returning hungrier, sharper and ready to explode in the Harambee Stars engine room.
The Yanga SC dynamo is in Benni McCarthy’s 24-man squad for the November friendlies in Antalya, Turkey, where Kenya face Equatorial Guinea on November 14 and Senegal four days later. And the 30-year-old couldn’t hide his fire.
“My expectation is simple — I want to make an impact,” he said. “I feel ready. I feel strong. I want to help the team and show what I’ve become.”
Abuya isn’t new to the national team. But this recall? It’s personal. The return is not about novelty; it is about timing. It comes like a tide rolling back to shore, carrying with it the years, the scars, the lessons — and the clarity that only a long journey can carve into a footballer’s soul.
“This is not my first time with Harambee Stars,” he said. “But this one hits differently. I’ve grown. I’ve seen tougher leagues. I’ve been tested. Now I’m back as a better player.”
And he admits he didn’t see it coming. “To be honest, I didn’t expect it now,” he said. “Kenya has a lot of quality in midfield. When I saw my name, I just thanked God. Hard work never hides. It paid off.”
Abuya insists the Antalya friendlies are anything but casual kickabouts. “These games are massive for us,” he said. “Madagascar, Comoros — these boys don’t joke. We must show Kenya is progressing. Discipline, hunger, everything.”
He’s not flying to Turkey to warm the bench either. “I respect everyone in midfield,” he said. “But I’m not here to fill numbers. Even if I get five minutes, I’ll give everything. I’m ready to fight.”
The midfielder’s revival has been forged in the noisy cauldron of Young Africans SC — where pressure, expectations and packed stadiums are the daily norm.
“At Yanga, you can’t hide,” he said. “Every week is a test. Every match is a war. That intensity changed me.”
He says Tanzania’s top league hardened him. “The league is fast. It’s technical. You must stay calm under pressure. I’ve grown tactically and mentally. That’s what I’m bringing back to Harambee Stars.”
Abuya’s path hasn’t been smooth. It’s been scrap after scrap. From the dusty fields of Eldoret’s GFE 105, to Mathare United’s academy of survival, to Kariobangi Sharks’ fearless football — then a tough stint at Zambia’s Nkana FC before landing in Tanzania with Singida, Ihefu and now Yanga.
He’s been everywhere. He’s seen everything.
“When you wear the Kenyan jersey and the anthem plays, it hits you hard,” he said. “You remember where you came from. The sacrifices. The struggles. That’s why this call-up means so much.”
With the Turkish friendlies looming, Abuya sent a message straight from the heart.
“We feel the support from home,” he said. “We feel the expectations too. All we ask is unity. We’re building something under the coach. With time, people will see it.”
“I’m ready to fight for the badge, for my family and for every young Kenyan who thinks the dream is far away. If you work, the door opens. I’m proof of that.”
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