NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 11 – Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027 Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman Nicholas Musonye has assured Kenyans that Kasarani Stadium will be ready by the end of December, more than six months before the continental showpiece kicks off.
Musonye said the 48,000-seater facility would be handed over to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) alongside the newly constructed Talanta Sports City Stadium.
“By the end of December, we should be able to hand over all of these facilities. Talanta City, we are ready to hand it over now. The fact that it is hosting a match on January 5 (Bayern Munich v Ajax), doesn’t that mean that it is usable? Kasarani, we will also hand it over by the end of December,” Musonye said.
His assurance comes amid growing concerns over the slow pace of renovation works at Kasarani, with members of the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare questioning whether the facility would be completed in time.
The lawmakers, led by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, also raised concerns about accessibility for persons living with disabilities and the stadium’s emergency preparedness.
Their concerns follow repeated inspection visits by CAF officials, who have identified areas requiring improvement as Kenya steps up preparations to co-host the 2027 continental tournament with Uganda and Tanzania.
However, Musonye sought to allay the fears, insisting that Kenya was paying close attention to detail to ensure a successful tournament.
“There’s no reason why they (CAF) should be worried. If they want hotels, we have close to 1,000 in Nairobi alone. If they want international airports, we have five… If they want a railway line, we have it. If they want roads, we have flyovers… We have no problem with facilities,” he said.
The LOC chairman added that Kenya had taken lessons from previous AFCON hosts and was determined to avoid the shortcomings that led to Cameroon losing hosting rights for the 2019 edition.
“We have seen challenges that Cameroon faced, and we cannot go that route. That’s why the presidents of the East African countries are careful to avoid the challenges that Cameroon faced in 2019 and caused CAF to strip them of the chance to host it,” he said.
He further stressed that Kenya was committed to meeting CAF’s requirements to safeguard its hosting rights.
“When CAF says we do something, we do it. We don’t want to give them any reason to strip us of the hosting rights,” Musonye added.
AFCON 2027 matches in Kenya are scheduled to be played at Kasarani and Talanta Sports City Stadium, while Nyayo Stadium, Ulinzi Sports Complex, Police Sacco Stadium, Kasarani Annex and Kirigiti Stadium will serve as training venues.
