‘No cause for alarm over CHAN readiness’, CS Mvurya assures

Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Salim Mvurya has moved to allay fears that Kenya is not ready to co-host the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) in August this year over venue readiness.

Speaking amid growing fears and concerns about the quality of grass at Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums, the CS revealed that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspection team that visited the country last week gave Kenya the green light to proceed with preparations.

He said the inspectors evaluated not just playing surfaces but also venue readiness, security, infrastructure, accommodation, and coordination frameworks, to ensure seamless delivery of a world-class tournament.

“We had a meeting on Friday with the CAF officials because it is standard procedure for CAF to conduct periodic inspections up until the final day in July. In our discussions, we affirmed Kenya’s full readiness to host CHAN,” stated CS Mvurya.

The CS urged the public to disregard misinformation circulating about Kenya’s readiness, reaffirming that the country is on track to deliver a successful and historic CHAN 2025.

He also confirmed that the government has already paid the Ksh.1.6 billion hosting fee to CAF, further underlining Kenya’s commitment to the tournament.

“We have invested heavily in infrastructure upgrades, including at Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums, and have already paid the hosting fee amounting to KES 1.6 billion. The ongoing assessments by CAF are routine and essential to ensure all host nations are in alignment with tournament standards,” he added.

CS Mvurya spoke during the official handover of the Raila Odinga Stadium to the National Celebrations Steering Committee in readiness for the Madaraka Day Celebrations.

Kenya will co-host the continental tournament, reserved for players in domestic leagues, alongside neighbors Uganda and Tanzania.