A view of a section of Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on June 10, 2025.
Concerned by rising cases of crowd trouble in Kenyan football, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) has made an elaborate plans in collaboration with various security agencies to prevent acts of hooliganism during the competition.
These measures include a ban on sale of match tickets on the days hosts Kenya will be playing, screening fans at least one kilometre away from the stadium, and deploying a large number of security personnel, among them those trained by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on crowd control.
The other measures are real-time monitoring of all sections of the stadiums, road closures, assigning each ticket a specific seat number, and creating a fan zone at Uhuru Park in Nairobi. Kenya will co-host 2024 Chan tournament with Uganda and Tanzania from August 2 to 30.
Kenya’s LOC chairman Nicholas Musonye and Chief Executive Officer Myke Rabar disclosed the detailed crowd control plans when they appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Sports and Culture on Thursday.
2024 Chan Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye speaks to journalists at Nyayo National Stadium on March 25, 2025.
Musonye, a former Cecafa Secretary General, said the decision to end tickets sales a day before Harambee Stars matches was informed by the crowd trouble witnessed when Kenya hosted Gabon in a Group ‘F’ match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers at Nyayo National Stadium on March 23. Gabon won 2-1.
“The experience we had during the match between Kenya and Gabon was that some tickets were sold on the day of the match and the crowd was keen to watch Harambee Stars play at home after a very long time. We learnt a lesson that is why we are saying no tickets will be on sale on the day of the match,” said Musonye.
In Kenya, the tickets will be exclusively sold online. The regular tickets will sell at Sh200 while those for VIP and VVIP sections will retail for Sh500 and Sh1000 respectively.
The head of the LOC told the MPs that they anticipate a large number of Kenyan fans to attempt to force their way into the stadium during Harambee Stars’ matches. To avoid crowding at the stadiums’ entrances, Musonye said barriers manned by security officers will be erected one kilometre away from the venues.
“We will put up a very strong security measures around the venues. Our security team and stewards will make sure that we control the crowd at least one kilometre away from the venue so that the only people who can enter that venue are the ones holding valid ticket,” explained the veteran football administrator.
Rabar said that the LOC has acquired over 10,000 barriers to use in crowd control. He noted that CAF has strict regulations regarding what happens within a one-kilometre radius of each stadium thus the stringent measures.
Rabar revealed that during matches, some roads will be closed at least two hours before kick-off. To help Kenyans plan ahead, the CEO said the public will be informed early enough.
A section of the seating area inside Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi on June 10, 2025.
“There is a plan to communicate this to the public on when the roads will be closed, which roads and how for long. Maps have already been designed by the security teams which will be shared to the public,” he revealed.
According to a presentation by the LOC to the Parliamentarians, several local security personnel including a selected police officers and National Youth Service stewards have been trained by CAF on stadium safety. Private security firms are being procured for Nyayo National Stadium, Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and all training venues while volunteers will also be engaged to support security operations.
Venue Operating Centres (VOCs) have been established at both Kasarani and Nyayo for real-time monitoring of the facilities, strict zonal access controls will be implemented and enforced via multi-level accreditation while the VIP and VVIP areas will be secured with accreditation-only access.
Musonye said the stewards manning the crowds will be backed up by a strong police presence.
“People fear police officers in uniform but a civilian can be overwhelmed so we have also put strong police forced to ensure the stewards who are controlling the entry points are not overwhelmed,” he said.
For accountability and easy control at seating areas in the stadiums, each ticket will be assigned a specific seat number. The volunteers and stewards, Musonye explained, will guide the spectators on how to enter the stadium and locate their seats. Rabar said matches will be stream live on giant screens at Uhuru Park.
