With only slightly over three weeks to begin the 2025 edition of the CHAN (African Nations Championships), all eyes are on Kenya’s preparedness as co-hosts of the event that is a preserve of local based football players.
Already, the Government through Sports Kenya is hard at work in anticipation of the event as they rush to beat the January 20 CAF deadline to have both Nyayo Stadium and Moi Sports Centre-Kasarani ready for action.
The Kenya Kwanza administration had budgeted about Ksh8 billion in total to do upgrades and renovation of two of the country’s most important sporting facilities with focus on pitches, perimeter, lighting, changing rooms, stadium seats and roofing.
It is a race against time literally with immediate former Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, now the Interior CS, vowing to ensure that the tournament which will act as a test rehearsal for Kenya’s readiness for the AFCON 2027 takes place and is successful. In a recent Television interview, the now CS for Interior and National Administration said;
“We are confident of hosting CHAN and are burning the midnight oil to ensure all facilities are Championship ready. I have heard some rumors and I want to dispel that because CAF is yet to communicate otherwise. We are well within schedule and I get regular updates at least every three days on progress. Our contractors are hard at work and so I remain optimistic of our bid,” Murkomen said of the championship slated to run from February 1-28 in the East African nations of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
As a mark of goodwill and progress, CAF has already announced that the draw for the CHAN tourney will be held at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on January 15.
The new incoming Cabinet Secretary for Sports Salim Mvurya, who only took over office this week, has also hit the ground running with this tournament being top on his to-do-list.
The CAF top leadership led by President Patrice Motsepe and some of his Executive Committee has been to Kenya at least thrice to assess readiness.
During all those visits, they have not only met two former Cabinet Secretaries (Ababu Namwamba and Kipchumba Murkomen), but also President William Ruto who assured the continental football body that Kenya will be ready to host the championship.
However, hushed murmurs around the corridors of CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt indicate they have not been entirely happy with the speed of renovations or doing of new infrastructure that meets standards of safety and security.
Football Kenya Federation’s new administration led by Hussein Mohamed has also been having multiple talks with CAF and Government on ways to ensure that the tournament which could be excellent as a sports tourism boon ultimately succeeds.
