Kenya suffered their first defeat under Benni McCarthy with a 2-1 loss to Group F leaders Gabon in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Sunday afternoon.
Coach McCarthy dropped Brian Onyango from the 3-3 draw with Gambia, but persisted with Ian Otieno in goal and Michael Olunga up top.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke the deadlock in the opening quarter with a simple finish in the far corner following a perfectly-timed assist.
Olunga looked to have drawn level minutes later through a simple effort from close-range off a rebound from goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba, but it was disallowed for offside.
McCarthy's men still carried out the momentum thereafter and saw Olunga come inside from a tight angle to rattle the face of the far-post.
Before the second half, Gabon made a substitution in Aaron Appindangoye ahead of Alex Moucketou-Moussounda with the home team unchanged.
The Harambee Stars continued to battle away though were further behind five minutes in the second half when Aubameyang slotted in a penalty following Eric Ouma's hand-ball.
Kenya received a route back inside the latter stages when a cutback from the left of the box spotted a charging Olunga, who obliged from the tightest of angles.
McCarthy's men were hugely energised after reducing the arrears and pushed numbers in the hope of another comeback from the jaws of defeat.
The inability to make the dominance or momentum remained a challenge, but more firepower off the bench followed Masod Juma introduced.
It didn't change the dimension of the Harambee Stars, who still lacked efficiency in the latter third and therefore left the Panthers to victory.