Harambee Stars players celebrate their goal against Tanzania during their Mapinduzi Cup match at the Gombani Stadium in Zanzibar on January 7, 2025.
The inspection of the stadiums was done with aplomb. The verdict was given with the weighty voice of a judge ruling on a murder trial: we passed the test and Kenya will host the 2024 Africa Nations Championship (Chan), after several attempts to qualify for the event came a cropper.
However, the country has been racing against time to have its facilities ready. Yesterday, CAF announced the postponement of the tournament from February to August to give the three East African countries time to ensure their infrastructure was up to speed.
Had the country lost the hosting rights as happened in 2018, Kenya would have probably lost its ticket to play in the competition.
As co-hosts of the event—reserved exclusively for players competing domestically—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda are guaranteed spots in the finals.
Their participation in qualifiers was intended to give them match practice ahead of the championship. But, had it been that even as hosting nation, one has to make it past the qualifiers, Harambee Stars would be watching from the terraces in a party that they are the hosts.
Kenya was paired against South Sudan in the first round of the qualifiers. Playing away in Juba in the first leg on October 27, Harambee Stars were hammered 2-0 by the Bright Stars before a 1-1 draw in the return leg in Kampala.
After the loss to South Sudan, the then Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat was quoted saying:“To be honest for me it doesn’t make any sense. It is difficult to play with no real aim because for you, it is a friendly game but for the rival, it is a qualification match so they will come with more motivation and aggression.”
The Turkish coach added: “I have never heard this in my life that a qualified team can still play the qualifiers. I don’t know who has this idea and I have no clue what they wanted.”
This would have been Kenya’s eighth consecutive failed attempt to qualify for Chan, a tournament that was introduced in 2009 and won by the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It was Tanzania who knocked Kenya out of the qualifiers for the maiden Chan competition with a 2-1 preliminary round aggregate victory in 2008
Two years later, Kenya fell to Uganda in the first round on away goal rule after a 2-2 (1-0, 2-1) aggregate stalemate
Burundi beat Harambee Stars by a solitary goal in Bujumbura before playing to a barren draw in Nairobi in the preliminary round of the 2014 qualifiers while in the qualifiers for the 2016 championship, Ethiopia stopped Kenya with a 2-0 (2-0. 0-0) aggregate win at the same stage.
Kenya would have automatically qualified for the 2018 championships but lost hosting rights because of inadequate preparations, particularly on the part of infrastructure.
Tanzania eliminated Kenya in the first round of the 2020 qualifiers, 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 aggregate tie.
In 2022, Kenya was locked out of the draws due to an international ban by Fifa who cited government interference in the running of the local game.
This year, Kenyans will have a chance to watch their team play in the Chan for the first time ever while local players have the opportunity to showcase their talent in the 19-nation competition.
It will be the first time a continental football competition for national teams is played in Kenya, and will serve as a precursor to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations that the country will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda.
Senegal won the 2022 edition beating hosts Algeria 5-4 on penalties in the final on February 4, 2023 in Algiers.
Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo have each won two Chan titles.
