Kenya will not take part in the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) U15 Championship scheduled to kick off on November 4 in Njeru, Uganda.

According to CECAFA Executive Director Auka Gacheo, Kenya had notified CECAFA that they would not be able to send a team for the Championship and thus became the third member association to withdraw after Sudan, Burundi, and Eritrea.

“We expected Kenya to send a team for the competition but before the draw, they sent a notification indicating they are not able to raise a team, so we have conducted a draw without Kenya, Sudan, Burundi, and Eritrea,” said Gacheo.

During the draw, hosts Uganda were pooled in Group A alongside Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Sudan while Group B will have Tanzania, Zanzibar, Somalia, and Rwanda. Ethiopia will face South Sudan in the opening match while Uganda, who are the defending champions will also take to the field at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru in the second match of the day on November 4.

Tanzania will open their Group B campaign with a match against Somalia on November 5th, while Zanzibar take on Rwanda in the second match on the same day. “We expect to have a very competitive competition and we are using the competition to prepare our youngsters ahead of the AFCON U17 Zonal qualifiers next year,” added Auka.

The last CECAFA U15 Championship was held in Asmara, Eritrea in 2019 where Uganda defeated Kenya in the final.