Prodigy Achola eyes goalscoring streak at AFCON qualifiers

National Under-17 striker Nathan Achola is determined to make his mark for Kenya at this week’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Wearing the No. 9 jersey, the young forward is eager to find the back of the net and make every opportunity count starting with the game against Somalia ON Tuesday.

“It’s a dream for every 17-year-old to represent their country. I was over the moon, my family was over the moon, and my friends were so happy for me. It was just an amazing feeling. Since I play as a forward, my aim in the tournament is to score a goal or two,” Achola said.

The 17-year-old is one of 25 players who were called up by coach William ‘Kanu’ Muluya for the regional qualifiers, where the Junior Starlets will be aiming to secure their first-ever ticket to the continental stage.

Achola is already envisioning bigger stages, confident that Kenya has the potential to progress far in the AFCON U17 tournament and eventually reach the World Cup.

“As a team, I want us to go far because last year we didn’t qualify for AFCON. My goal is for us to secure qualification, and once we get there, it’s a step closer to the U17 World Cup, which is the biggest stage at the youth level,” he said.

He added that the ambition is shared across the squad, and much of their drive comes from within.

“I feel it’s mostly self-motivation. All of us want to achieve our goal of reaching AFCON, and of course, our coaches are very motivating. We are disciplined, the coaches push us, we push ourselves, and we’re representing Kenya — that responsibility pushes us even more,” Achola explained.

Last year, the Junior Starlets had a forgettable Cecafa qualifiers campaign, exiting at the group stages after a 1-0 loss to Tanzania and a heavy 5-0 defeat to Uganda, ending their hopes prematurely.