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Football fever grips Kisumu ahead of 2024 Chan quarter-finals
A giant screen erected at KCB roundabout in Kisumu City's CBD where fans will follow the 2024 African Nations Championship quarter final match between Kenya and Madagascar.
What you need to know:
- Motorists planning to use roads leading to Kisumu City’s Central Business District have been advised to take alternative routes.
- Football fans in Kisumu welcomed the idea of putting up the giant screens at various points to enable them catch a piece of the action.
Kisumu is bracing for a wave of football fever as thousands of fans prepare to throng the city’s Central Business District to catch live action of the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) quarter-final showdown between Kenya’s Harambee Stars and Madagascar in Nairobi on Friday.
The match will be played at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, from 5pm.
On Thursday, Kisumu County government set up two fan zones in the city, complete with giant digital screens at the KCB and Kisumu Boys High School roundabouts to enable fans follow the action live from Kasarani.
County Executive Committee Member for Sports, Culture, Gender and Youth Affairs, Beatrice Odongo, said the initiative is meant to create “a stadium away from the stadium” for fans who are unable to travel to Nairobi to watch the match live.
“Fans who did not manage to travel to Nairobi can watch the game live on our digital screens. We want Kisumu to feel the same energy as Kasarani,” she said, adding that the move is designed to strengthen community spirit through sport.
Security teams have been deployed to ensure safety at the venues, while motorists planning to use roads leading to Kisumu City’s Central Business District have been advised to take alternative routes.
A giant screen erected at KCB roundabout in Kisumu City's CBD where fans will follow the 2024 African Nations Championship quarter final match between Kenya and Madagascar.
Vehicular traffic bound for Busia Road will be diverted through Kachok flyover en route to Kondele to ease traffic around the fan parks.
A win for Kenya against Madagascar will see Harambee Stars book their first spot in the semi-finals of a continental tournament since the 1987 All Africa Games (now named African Games).
Later in the evening, co-hosts Tanzania will battle it out with former champions Morocco in another quarter-final match set for 8pm at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Football fans in Kisumu welcomed the idea of putting up the giant screens at various points to enable them catch a piece of the action.
For many, in Kisumu the day goes beyond football. It is about national pride, unity, and the hope of seeing Harambee Stars rise to the continental stage.
Philip Oyoo, a football enthusiast in Kisumu, welcomed the move, saying fan zones are crucial for nurturing a stronger support culture for the national team.
“Not everyone can make it to Nairobi, but with these fan parks, the whole country feels connected. This is how we grow our football spirit,” he said.
