We will be ready to host Chan, Murkomen assures

Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has assured Kenyans that the country will retain hosting rights for the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan), set for February 2025.

With just three weeks left until the December 31 deadline set by the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Murkomen remains confident that Kenya will finalise infrastructure upgrades in time.

Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and Nyayo National Stadium, earmarked for the tournament, are currently undergoing renovations. Kenya is set to co-host the competition, exclusively for homegrown players, alongside Tanzania and Uganda, both of which have ready facilities. The three East African nations are also preparing to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

For the past two days, reports on social media suggested that Caf might award the hosting rights of the biennial tourney to Rwanda instead. However, Murkomen dismissed the rumours, stating he has not received any official communication to that effect.

“We are not having alternatives; we will host Chan in the stadiums we have proposed to Caf, and we have plans to deliver. You should wait for the three weeks remaining before the deadline,” Murkomen said during a press briefing at his Talanta Plaza office in Nairobi on Tuesday.

“Kasarani will host Chan, and I’m telling you it will happen,” he added. Murkomen revealed that Caf President Patrice Motsepe is scheduled to visit Kenya within two weeks to assess progress on the preparations.

The Sports CS urged Kenyans to avoid spreading false information online and to support the country’s efforts. “We have people who amplify negative news and are not patriotic to our country. That is not good,” he said.

Even though Murkomen admitted that the December 31 deadline is tight, he emphasised that Caf has the final say on Kenya’s hosting status.

On Tuesday, he unveiled the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the two competitions, chaired by former Cecafa Secretary General Nicholas Musonye and assisted by the newly elected FKF President Hussein Mohammed.

Kenya previously lost Chan hosting rights in 2018 due to inadequate infrastructure. Reflecting on the current situation, Murkomen acknowledged the challenges: “We have put ourselves under immense pressure. In fact, with the benefit of hindsight, we even ask ourselves whether we should have pushed for Chan. But it is this kind of pressure that made Kenya have the two major facilities that have lasted for 40 years.”

Musonye, while admitting that Kenya is behind schedule, promised a robust effort to deliver both Chan 2024 and Afcon 2027. “I have gone through the stadiums, and we are behind schedule. Now that we have made the commitment, we shall do all we can to deliver Chan and Afcon,” he said.

Murkomen said hosting Chan is a stepping stone for larger international events like Afcon 2027.