Harambee Stars will face Bafana Bafana in a two-legged tie, starting at Orlando Stadium on Friday, November 13th, before the return leg at Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday, November 17th.
After missing the opening round of the qualifiers, Olunga is among the players who are making a comeback to the squad named by coach Benni McCarthy ahead of back-to-back matches against South Africa.
The Al-Arabi striker in the Qatar Stars League returns to the fold after missing the March 2026 FIFA Series in Rwanda and the September–October AFCON 2027 qualifying assignments against Eritrea and Guinea, as well as the friendly against Rwanda, due to injury.
Against South Africa, Olunga will be aiming to score two goals which will guarantee the former Gor Mahia striker a chance to become Kenya’s all-time leading goalscorer in history.
Former Gor Mahia striker William “Chege” Ouma is Kenya’s all-time top goal scorer in men’s international football with 35 goals for the Harambee Stars.
Ouma enjoyed a rich vein of goal-scoring form, attaining the 35-goal haul in 66 appearances in a time spanning 15 years.
His last goal for the national team colours came around 1977, when he marked his final appearances for the Harambee Stars under coach Ray Wood.
Olunga on course to break record
Olunga had kept alive his dream to become the new all-time top scorer for the East African nation after notching a brace in Harambee Stars’ win over Seychelles in September 9th during a FIFA World Cup qualifier clash.
The brace moved Olunga level with former AJ Auxerre striker Dennis Oliech on 34 goals in the Harambee Stars’ all-time scoring chart and placed him just one goal shy of the all-time top scorer, Ouma.
Olunga further scored his 31st goal and the first of the McCarthy era in the FIFA World Cup campaign in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Gambia.
In a recent interview, Olunga told Flashscore why the presence of McCarthy as Kenya’s coach will spur on his dream to break Ouma’s record.
"Having a coach like Benni McCarthy, who is the all-time top scorer for South Africa, it gives me motivation to believe it is achievable," explained Olunga.
"Hopefully, if I continue to work hard with the national team, God will give me the opportunity one day to be the all-time top goalscorer for Kenya."
Olunga made his debut for Kenya in a friendly against Seychelles at the Stade Linite in Victoria on March 28th, 2015.
He scored his first goal for the Harambee Stars in a friendly against South Sudan which resulted in a 2-0 win. On July 27th, 2019, during the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, Olunga scored a double to complete a 3-2 comeback win against Tanzania.
While still a student at the Upper Hill School, Olunga began his career with the Liberty Sports Academy in the Nairobi County League.
He scored 32 goals for the side during the 2012 season, helping them finish the season unbeaten and earn promotion to the Nairobi Provincial League.
He made headlines when he scored seven goals in a single match helping his team to an 8-0 win. Olunga also played for Tusker, and Gor Mahia in the Kenyan Premier League.
During his first season at Gor Mahia in 2015, Olunga finished the campaign as the club’s top scorer in the league with 19 goals to help the side win a record 15th league title without losing a single match.
Kenya’s all-time top scorers
1. William Ouma (35) - 1965–1977
2. Michael Olunga - (34) - 2015–present
3. Dennis Oliech (34) - 2002–2015
4. Elijah Lidonde (33) - 1950–1961
5. Ali Kajo (26) - 1959–1969
6. Livingstone Madegwa (26) - 1964–1972
7. Joe Kadenge (25) - 1957–1970
8. John Baraza (21) - 2002–2011
9. Daniel Nicodemus (17) - 1963–1972
10. Mike Origi (17) - 1990–2004
11. John Nyawanga (17) - 1965–1976
