Harambee Starlets forward joins Simba Queens from Besiktas

Harambee Starlets striker Cynthia Shilwatso has formally been unveiled as a new Simba Queens player.

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Shilwatso, 26, joins the Tanzanian club after her short spell as a free agent, following her exit from Turkish side Besiktas Women in July.

The move, posted on the club’s social media handles on Monday, 22 September, goes in line with their team manager Selman Makanya’s sentiments earlier this year, where he hinted that the former Vihiga Queens player would be part of their squad for the 2025-2026 season.

In the interview, Makanya said Shilwatso’s signing would be part of the team’s restructuring, following an extensive purge that saw Simba release 11 players, three of them being Kenyans (striker Jentrix Shikangwa, defender Wincate Kaari, and goalkeeper Caroline Rufaa).

Harambee Starlets duo join Tanzania’s Simba Queens

Another Harambee Starlets player, Fasila Adhiambo, is expected to be part of Simba’s squad rebuild next season, after she reportedly also signed a two-year deal with the club.

The former Ulinzi Starlets player is currently the skipper of Kenya's U20 women's national football team - Rising Starlets - who are playing a pair of U20 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia this month.

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The two will now join a growing list of Kenyan players at the club, including midfielder Corazone Aquino, defender Ruth Ingotsi, and winger Elizabeth Wambui.

Shilwatso has had a previous stint in Tanzania, featuring for Fountain Gate Princess during the 2023-2024 season.

Her other stops include a stay at Ukrainian side Krivybas, where Shilwatso featured in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the top flight, registering 16 appearances and scoring seven goals across all competitions, and Spanish side EDF Logroño B in Spain.