The South African tactician was unveiled as the coach of Kenya's national football team on March 3rd, 2025.
McCarthy penned a contract that will take him through to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which Kenya will co-host with neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the former Manchester United assistant coach confirmed he had gone for months without salary alongside the technical bench.
McCarthy further added he was currently staying in Kenya without a visa because it was yet to be renewed.
‘We all need to be paid’
“It becomes a problem when my technical bench and I have not been paid salaries for months,” McCarthy told reporters in Nairobi.
“Nobody in the world works for free. We all need to be paid after work. Especially when you work in a foreign country.
“We signed contracts to work, and it is only fair that we honour the contracts, including payment of salaries.”
Discussing the issue of Kenyan visa, McCarthy said: “It’s been one and a half years now in Kenya, but we don’t have work permits. We can’t work as illegal immigrants. That’s why I come, do my job, then leave when the camp is finished.
“I go through the proper channels to get my visa because that’s the right thing to do.
“So, when you get employed by an employer from another country, when you come in, your documents are taken, and to work in that country, the normal thing is that you need a work permit to work anywhere in the world.
"Even if they take you as a player, the players also need a work permit because you are a foreign national and you need to work, and we sat with the federation about this issue because, for me, that's the biggest issue.
“After all, I see in the world what goes on about immigration and illegals and all this, and it’s horrible because it’s people that look like me that get identified, and when you are in Europe it’s the worst thing that you can be associated with.”
Kenya to face Eritrea in opener
Asked whether his employers, Football Kenya Federation (FKF), were aware of the situation, McCarthy replied: “We worked on that. And a year and a half later, because I’m a year and a half between myself and the technical team, we are in the job.
“You know, when you get tired of saying to someone, please, can we do that? Can we do this?
You end up with the words that come out of your mouth and end up falling on deaf ears. And I think that’s where it got to with the Federation and us.”
“But so far, we've been very fortunate because it never came to light with the authorities; we were flying under the radar.
“People assumed that we are, but today, if a policeman comes to me and questions me about my legality and my permits here, then I’ll be facing criminal charges, and then it becomes my responsibility because I should have made sure, but I don’t have those kinds of authorities.”
Harambee Stars will kick off their campaign at home against Eritrea on September 26th at Nyayo Stadium, before making the long trip to West Africa to face Guinea on October 1st at Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry.
Kenya were drawn into a competitive Group D alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea for the PAMOJA 2027 qualifiers.
As one of the co-host nations of the tournament, Kenya have already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 AFCON.