Sports arenas set for refurbishment after 2027 joint Afcon bid
President William Ruto, Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa during the unveiling of the East African Community (EAC) Pamoja bid for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 at State House, Nairobi on May 15, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Mwendwa believes the three countries stand a good chance of being awarded the right to host the coveted extravaganza if they show seriousness.
- “EAC has never hosted Afcon, so for me Algeria and Egypt will just be on standby. They cannot be preferred to us if we show that we can,” said Mwendwa.
- He said that MISC and Nyayo National Stadium could be closed for up to seven months for renovations
Eight sports venues in the country could get a major facelift after they were identified as some of the training grounds in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), East African Commission (EAC) “Pamoja” bid.
Neighbours Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have come together in attempts to bring the Afcon to the region for the first time ever by bidding to host the 36th edition of the continental showpiece.
In the joint bid, the three countries agreed to present three stadiums each to host the exciting matches.
Kenya has presented iconic, 60,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani, 30,000-seater Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi and Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.
As their training grounds, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa said Nairobi presented MISC Kasarani Annex, Police Sacco Stadium, Kenya Utalii College Sports Club, Ulinzi Sports Complex and Jamhuri Sports Complex.
For Kipchoge Keino Stadium, the federation boss said they presented three training grounds but did not reveal them.
Mwendwa made the revelations last Friday when he appeared on K24 TV.
He said that Police Sacco Stadium and Ulinzi Sports Complex were assigned to Nyayo National Stadium, while MISC Kasarani Annex and Utalii College Sports Club were allocated to MISC. Jamhuri Sports Complex has been earmarked as the training ground for the match officials.
Should the EAC “Pamoja” bid go through, the eight venues are expected to get a major facelift since the Confederation of African Football (CAF) demands that they be of world class.
They should have quality turf, enclosed washrooms and dressing rooms.
Mwendwa believes the three countries stand a good chance of being awarded the right to host the coveted extravaganza if they show seriousness.
“EAC has never hosted Afcon, so for me Algeria and Egypt will just be on standby. They cannot be preferred to us if we show that we can,” said Mwendwa.
He said that MISC and Nyayo National Stadium could be closed for up to seven months for renovations
