Nairobi – The Kenyan Sports Cabinet Secretary, Ababu Namwamba, has provided an update on Kenya’s readiness to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) during a presentation to the National Assembly Committee on Sports. Kenya, along with neighboring countries Uganda and Tanzania, is gearing up to host the prestigious tournament. Here are the key points from Namwamba’s presentation:

Major Venues
Kenya has selected the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani and the upcoming Talanta City Stadium as its primary venues for the 24-team tournament. Significant upgrades are underway at Kasarani, including improvements to the changing rooms, pitch, access controls, floodlights, audiovisual installations, new lifts and seats, and the construction of a surrounding canopy. The construction at Kasarani, which commenced on December 15, is being overseen by the Kenya Defense Forces. Plans for Talanta City Stadium are at an advanced stage, and the groundbreaking ceremony is imminent. There is still a decision pending on the stadium’s location, whether in Nairobi’s Jamhuri area or Shanzu in Mombasa.

Additional Venues
Nyayo Stadium and Kip Keino Stadium have been designated as standby venues. Design works for Kip Keino Stadium in Eldoret have been completed, and the project is awaiting the bill of quantities from the Ministry of Works before commencing construction.

Training Venues
Training venues have been identified in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Eldoret, including the Kasarani Annex, Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) Grounds, Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nyayo Stadium, Mbaraki Sports Complex, Shanzu Teachers Training College, Mombasa Municipal Stadium, Diani ACK Grounds, Eldoret University, Eldoret Polytechnic, and Eldoret ACK Grounds. These facilities will have similar playing surfaces to the main stadia, and their development is scheduled as the final phase of the preparations to preserve their quality.

Expected Completion Date
The construction work at both the Kasarani and Talanta City Stadiums is expected to conclude by December 2025. Following the completion, a team of inspectors from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will assess the facilities. The Kenyan government is also expected to provide a 30 million USD guarantee to CAF, which is part of the 90 million USD total guarantee split amongst the three host countries. Each country will deposit 30 million USD to ensure the successful hosting of the tournament.