Nicholas Musonye, the chairman of Kenya’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the delayed 2024 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) cut a figure of a relieved man as he settled on his seat to address the press on Friday at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
After months of uncertainty, Kenya was finally assured of co-hosting the continental football tournament with Uganda and Tanzania from August 2 to 30, a decision that eased some pressure off the shoulders of the veteran football administrator, and other members of the LOC.
At the press conference, Musonye revealed that the Confederation of African Football (Caf) had finally given Kenya a clean bill of health to host the tournament following a final inspection conducted on July 4 and 5.
“I’m aware of Caf’s concerns about our preparations but now those fears were allayed last week when Caf made their final inspection and told us that we can go ahead comfortably organise this event,” Musonye said, his face beaming with excitement.
The former Cecafa Secretary General said the pressure to ensure Kenya met the hosting requirement was immense, taking a heavy toll on both him and other members of LOC.
2024 Chan Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye speaks to journalists at Nyayo National Stadium on March 25, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“You see I have even lost weight,” Musonye quipped to the amusement of the journalist attending the press conference.
“There has been a lot of pressure from Caf, internally here and there but we are managing. It has not been easy but very, very difficult.”
Chan is a biennial football tournament, which is exclusively reserved for players plying their trade in their respective domestic leagues. Nineteen teams, including the three hosting nations, defending champions Senegal and two-time winners Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will take part in the eighth edition in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from August 2 -30.
Drawn in Group “A”, Kenya will open their campaign against DRC on August 3, before playing Angola (August 7), Morocco (August 10), and Zambia (August 17). Kenya will play all its matches at the 55,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani, which will also host the tournament’s final on August 30.
Much like the announcement that Kenya would co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals with Uganda and Tanzania, news that the three nations would also jointly host the 2024 Chan was met with scepticism by many Kenyans.
Caf president Patrice Motsepe confirmed that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania would co-host 2024 Chan when he visited Nairobi on September 16 last year. From past experience, many Kenyan fans expressed doubts about the government’s commitment to have venues ready on time for the tournament. Kenya had been awarded and later stripped of the rights to host both 1996 Afcon finals and 2018 Chan due to inadequate preparations.
Kenya lacked a single Fifa/Caf-accredited stadium at the time when Motsepe confirmed that the country would host 2024 Chan alongside Uganda and Tanzania. Nevertheless, the government exuded confidence that the country would be ready for the tournament, which was initially scheduled for February this year.
Following consultation with Caf, Kenya settled on Nyayo National Stadium as the primary match venue for Chan, with Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega earmarked as the other venue. But due to the extensive work required to elevate the Bukhungu to international standards, it was dropped from the plan. Instead, MISC Kasarani, which had been undergoing renovation since August 2023 in preparation for 2027 Afcon, was designated as the other match venue.
A view of a section of Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Nyayo National Stadium was closed for renovation in August last year. The training venues presented by Kenya for 2024 Chan were Ulinzi Sports Complex, Police Sacco Stadium, Kasarani Annex “A” and “B” and two grounds at Kenya Academy of Sports.
Following CAF’s recommendation, Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu was also added as another training ground.
But true to the concerns raised by many Kenyans, the country has lagged behind in having its venues ready for the tournament.
In fact, Kenya was the main culprit when Caf was forced to postpone the tournament from February to August due to inadequate preparations. But despite that time extension, Kenya still failed to meet her own timelines, and those set by Caf, putting the country at a crossroads with the continental football governing body.
Among the missed deadlines set by Kenyan officials is June 25 date set by Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, December 31, 2024 date set by former Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen, and April 2025 date set by former Sports Principal Secretary Peter Tum.
It was only on June 30 that the contractor refurbishing Kasarani Stadium, Kasarani Annex “A” and “B” handed over the facilities to the government.
Nyayo National Stadium, Ulinzi Sports Complex, Police Sacco Stadium have yet to be handed over, though CS Mvurya has said that renovation of these facilities is complete. With the renovation of Kirigiti Stadium behind schedule, Caf directed Kenya to renovate Kenya Utalii College grounds as another training venue. Musonye confirmed last Friday that renovation of the facility is ongoing, and thanked the government for ensuring that Kenya is not again stripped of the right to host the competition.
“We were not able to do it (host the 1996 Afcon and 2018 Chan) because there was no infrastructure. Now, the government has done it and we really want to appreciate the effort and the amount of money they have put in the infrastructure to ensure that this competition does not fail,” Musonye said.
During their tour to assess Kenya’s preparedness to host the tournament, Motsepe and Caf Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba expressed cautious optimism that the country will be ready to stage the competition.
An aerial view of the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in this photo taken on June 10, 2025.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Contrary to Caf’s statement that Group “D” matches will be held in Zanzibar to “expand the reach and inclusivity of African football”, a source close to the competition’s planning told Nation Sport that the decision was prompted by Kenya’s persistent delay in having its venues ready in time.
“We have not convinced CAF that we can host two groups, that is why one has gone to Zanzibar,” said the source on condition of anonymity.
But Mvurya maintained that Group “D” which comprises Senegal, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan and Nigeria was never a preserve for Kenya. “There was nowhere initially where the groups had been allocated to different countries. I don’t think there is anything that Kenya has lost because it had not been decided,” Mvurya said on June 30.
Kenya not only lagged behind in venue preparations but also in the payment of the Sh1.6 billion hosting rights fee for 2024 Chan. Kenya deposited the money to Caf in April just as the deadline approached. Earlier, the Ministry of Sports had attributed the delay in the remittance of the fee to budget constraints owing to the refurbishment of the tournament’s venues.
