Kenya's Under-23 national team made an emphatic start to the TotalEnergies CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after defeating Tanzania 4-1 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Monday.
Kenya took control almost immediately, with Paul Osama opening the scoring inside the first minute to give the hosts the perfect start against their East African rivals.
Lawrence Okoth doubled the advantage deep into first-half stoppage time, sending Kenya into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The hosts continued their strong display after the restart, with captain Kevin Wangaya making it 3-0 five minutes into the second half.
Tanzania were handed an opportunity to respond when they were awarded a penalty, which Shekhan Khamis converted in the 54th minute to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
Any hopes of a Tanzanian comeback were ended in the 75th minute when Kelly Madada struck Kenya's fourth goal to restore the three-goal cushion.
The 4-1 victory gives Kenya a significant advantage ahead of the second leg scheduled for October 6 at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Kenya will still need to complete the job away from home, with the aggregate winner progressing to the second round of qualification, where Cote d'Ivoire awaits.
The match formed part of the opening fixtures on the road to the TotalEnergies CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2027.
Elsewhere, Mauritania secured a narrow 1-0 first-leg victory over DR Congo in Nouakchott.
Hamidou Diarra scored the only goal of the contest after 10 minutes as Mauritania successfully defended their lead for the remainder of the match.
DR Congo will have an opportunity to overturn the deficit when the teams meet again at Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on October 6.
The winner of the Mauritania-DR Congo tie will advance to face Nigeria in the next qualifying round.
Several other first-round fixtures are scheduled before the return legs, including Malawi against Eswatini, Tunisia against Benin, Rwanda against Sudan, Angola against Namibia and Zimbabwe against Mauritius.
Kenya will now turn its attention to the return encounter in Dar es Salaam as the team looks to protect its three-goal advantage and continue its push towards the continental finals in Egypt.
