Kenya national team striker Michael Olunga has suffered a significant setback in his pursuit of becoming the Harambee Stars’ all-time leading scorer after undergoing surgery on Friday, which could sideline him for an extended period.

The prolific forward, who also captains Kenya’s Harambee Stars, was absent from coach Benni McCarthy’s squad for the recent FIFA Series friendlies during the international break due to the injury.

Kenya took part in the FIFA Series 2026 in Rwanda from March 23 to 31, competing in Group A alongside Estonia, Grenada, and hosts Rwanda. They drew 1-1 with Estonia before losing 5-4 on penalties on March 27, and later secured a 3-0 victory over Grenada on March 30, with both matches played in Kigali.

Olunga suffers pelvic injury

Olunga’s club, Al Arabi, confirmed that the former Gor Mahia striker sustained a pelvic injury during a recent Qatar Stars League match and subsequently required surgery.

“Our player, Michael Olunga, suffered a pelvic injury and underwent successful surgery this morning in Paris, France,” the club said in a statement shared on social media.

Confirming the extent of the setback, Al Arabi stated: “The player is expected to be out for eight weeks, during which he will follow a rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the club’s medical team.”

The recovery timeline effectively rules Michael Olunga out for the remainder of the season, which is scheduled to end on April 28.

Olunga leaves Al Arabi in fifth place in the 12-team league standings, having accumulated 31 points from 19 matches, with nine wins, four draws, and six defeats. Individually, he has scored six league goals so far this campaign.

The striker had begun the season in impressive fashion, including netting twice against Qatar SC in late November 2025. He joined Al Arabi following a successful spell with Al Duhail in the same league.

Olunga chasing historic record

The injury represents a major setback for Olunga, who made his international debut for Kenya in 2015 against Seychelles at Stade Linité and has long targeted a place in the record books with the Harambee Stars.

He is currently closing in on the all-time national scoring record held by William Ouma, which stands at 34 goals. Olunga is just one goal away from surpassing that mark.

In a recent interview with Flashscore, he remained optimistic about reaching the milestone.

“Having a coach like Benni McCarthy, who is South Africa’s all-time top scorer, motivates me to believe it’s possible,” he said.

“Hopefully, if I keep working hard with the national team, I’ll get the chance one day to become Kenya’s all-time leading goalscorer.”

With the Harambee Stars preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, set to be hosted in East Africa, several friendly matches have already been scheduled—meaning Michael Olunga is likely to miss out during his recovery period.

Olunga began his professional journey in Sweden with Djurgårdens IF before moving to Chinese side Guizhou Zhicheng, who later loaned him to La Liga outfit Girona FC.

He made an instant impact in Spain, scoring a remarkable hat-trick in just 22 minutes during a 6-0 victory over UD Las Palmas, becoming both the first Kenyan and the first Girona player to achieve the feat in La Liga.

The striker later joined Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol, where he produced a historic performance by scoring eight goals in a 13-1 win over Kyoto Sanga. He ended the season with 27 league goals as Kashiwa secured promotion to the top flight.

In 2020, Olunga enjoyed a standout campaign, finishing as the J1 League’s top scorer with 28 goals. He also claimed both the Golden Boot and MVP award, becoming the first African player to win the J-League MVP.

Following his move to Qatar, he signed a three-year deal with Al Duhail SC, where he emerged as the top scorer in the 2021 AFC Champions League. However, the team exited the competition after a 1-1 draw with Al Ahli Saudi, allowing Esteghlal FC to progress as group winners.

Olunga later played a key role in guiding Al Duhail to the 2022/23 Qatar Stars League title, including scoring four goals in a 5-2 win over Al Shamal, before eventually moving to Al Arabi.

On the international stage, he netted his first goal for Kenya in a friendly against South Sudan national football team, helping secure a 2-0 victory.