Michel, a ex-France midfielder who coached Les Bleus to the 1984 Olympics gold medal and third at the World Cup two years later in Mexico, replaces Kenyan Francis Kimanzi who was fired in June after the failure to reach the 2013 African Nations Cup.

"We are excited to have the Frenchman to lead our national team to the future," Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Chairman Sam Nyamweya told Reuters.

Kenya, better known for its middle and long distance runners, are a lowly 126th in the FIFA rankings.

The country's football chiefs have had a torrid relationship with national coaches, characterised by the non-payment of salaries or the failure to get the desired results.

German Antoine Hey, who preceded Kimanzi, quit under a cloud after the side missed out on qualifying for the 2010 African Nations Cup despite his large wage.

Media reports said Michel's countryman and former France boss Raymond Domenech and Belgian Tom Saintfiet were also in the running for the post.

Michel, who has had a long list of national team coaching assignments in Africa including Morocco and Ivory Coast, quit as manager of Equatorial Guinea just one month before the tiny oil-rich state co-hosted the African Nations Cup this year.

He accused officials in the former Spanish colony of interfering in his preparations for the tournament.

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