Caf President Patrice Motsepe hands a jersey to Kenya President William Ruto at the State House, Nairobi on September 16, 2024.
Winning the rights to co-host the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament with Uganda and Tanzania could be considered the biggest sporting coup for President William Ruto's administration.
Kenya is currently in a race against time to prepare the requisite infrastructure to jointly host Africa’s premier national football team tournament, Afcon, in 2027 with Uganda and Tanzania, as well as Chan, Africa’s second-tier national team tournament reserved for footballers playing in their local leagues.
On September 27, 2023, “East Africa Pamoja bid” put together by the three East African countries surprised many by winning the hosting rights for 2027 Afcon ahead of individual bids by Senegal, Algeria, Morocco and Botswana.
Ruto was sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president on September 22, 2022 and on December 6, 2022, just three months after assuming office, the Cabinet approved Kenya’s joint bid with Uganda and Tanzania for 2027 Afcon.
“As a stepping stone towards the target of Harambee Stars qualifying for the Fifa World Cup 2030, the Cabinet approved the proposal to host Afcon 2027 along with East African Community partner states.
The Cabinet noted that the joint bid would deploy the power of sports in furthering regional integration,” a statement from the Cabinet read.
While announcing the winning bid, Confederation of Africa President (CAF) Patrice Motsepe talked about the personal commitment the organisatiaon had got from President Ruto in ensuring the project would succeed.
Securing hosting rights for 2027 Afcon was indeed a big deal considering that in 2018, Kenya lost the rights to host 2019 Chan after failing to upgrade Nyayo National Stadium and Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani to the required CAF standards, as well as constructing Kinoru Stadium in Meru County.
Two decades back, Kenya was also stripped of the hosting rights for the 1996 Afcon after CAF rules a lack of seriousness from the host to prepare for the tournament.
An aerial view of the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in this photo taken on June 10, 2025.
On that occasion, President Daniel Arap Moi wrote to Issa Hayatou who was president of Confederation of African Football (CAF) to say that Kenya had not done enough by way of getting ready to host the tournament. CAF moved the tournament to South Africa.
Kenya’s decision to walk away from an opportunity to host the 1996 Afcon baffled observers, given that President Moi had pulled out all stops nine years earlier to construct a spanking new Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, for the 1987 All Africa Games that were hosted in Nairobi.
Observers read politics into the decision, coming four years after the introduction of multi-party politics in Kenya in 1992.
Kenya was to construct a new stadium in Mombasa to host the tournament.
At that time also, the chairman of the Kenya Football Federation was Job Omino, who was a member of the opposition Ford Kenya party and MP for Kisumu town.
The government gave lip service to the preparations, perhaps not wanting the tournament to succeed and all the credit to go to the opposition.
A view of the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in this photo taken on June 10, 2025.
After the successful bid of “East Africa Pamoja Bid”, Sports Cabinet Secretary then Ababu Namwamba exuded confidence that the tournament wouldn’t be taken away from Kenya over failure to provide the requisite infrastructure.
On March 1, 2023 President Ruto presided over a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the 60,000-seater Talanta Sports City Stadium off Ngong Road, Nairobi, as part of Kenya’s preparations to co-host 2027 Afcon.
It was the first time Kenya was constructing a major stadium from scratch after MISC, Kasarani that was inaugurated in1987.
The Talanta stadium is earmarked for completion in December this year at a cost of Sh44.7 billion.
Together with Nyayo Stadium, they are the sports legacy of President Moi’s regime.
“We expect that by 2025 we shall be in place where most of the targets we have set will be complete,” Namwamba observed on July 26, 2023 after meeting CAF inspectors.
To help them adequately test their facilities and prepare to host 2027 Afcon, and in conformity to CAF’s regulations regarding hosting of the continental championships, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were awarded hosting rights for the 2024 Chan.
The tournament, originally slated for September last year, was postponed to February this year, and again to August 2025 owing to inadequate preparations.
Kenya and indeed her co-hosts Uganda and Tanzania are racing against time to deliver MISC as the main venue, with Nyayo National Stadium, Ulinzi Sports Complex (all in Nairobi County), Kirigiti Stadium (Kiambu County), and Police Sacco Stadium (South ‘C’ in Nairobi) as training venues.
On May 27, CAF Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba said Kenya had made good progress in its preparation and just a few finer touches were needed.
The CAF official said Kenya could only be sure of hosting the continental showpiece if it maintained the current pace of preparations.
“I came here in December and there was no grass on different pitches but today, you can even play golf there. This shows that a huge progress has been made since then, and even Nyayo National Stadium has hosted two matches,” a tough-talking Veron observed.
“Then, there were some seats at Kasarani, but now there are full seats. However, there are some aspects which must be completed before we can say Kenya can host the game,” the Cameroonian added.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said Kenya will maintain the pace of preparations, adding that MISC is ready, complete with irrigation channels.
He said seats have been fixed at the stadium, the main canopy fixed, and work on the VVIP area, changing rooms, and media tribune is completed.
“What we are doing is fixing VAR and other electronic things. We will ensure Kenya hosts this tournament,” said Mvurya.
The CS added that the contractor working at MISC was paid Sh400 million on June 3 to ensure all pending work is completed.
The government has indicated that both tournaments must be held and held successfully.
If and when that comes to pass, it will give President William Ruto’s regime the huge bragging rights of hosting Africa’s two biggest international tournaments, and two of them apart.
This has never happened in the country before.
See some of our other Ruto@1,000 coverage below:
