Stadium security in Kenya a concern as CHAN looms

BBC News

2 days ago

The Swahili word 'pamoja', meaning together, has been used to describe Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda hosting the African Nations Championship (CHAN), but the neighbours are not in sync when it comes to their level of preparedness for the finals in August.It is set to be the first time a continental competition is co-hosted by three countries, yet the tournament for domestic-based players has already been postponed once because works on infrastructure and facilities had not been finalised.One top Confederation of African Football (Caf) official says Kenya is "90%" ready, but has warned progress must continue and that stadium safety and security issues need addressing."Uganda we can play yesterday, Tanzania we can play tomorrow, Kenya we can play tomorrow," Caf general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba told BBC Sport Africa on a visit to Nairobi on Wednesday."In Kenya I have seen training pitches ready, changing rooms ready, stadium seats put in place."They have to keep the momentum."If they stop momentum, we don't want CHAN to be here."
Stadium safety
Crowd control during big matches in Kenya has been an area of concern in recent months.In March fans forced their way into the Nyayo National Stadium during Kenya's 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Gabon by breaking a gate.That incident came during what was the Harambee Stars' first game on home soil in almost two years.Mosenga-Omba admits that while such a lapse after a long absence of hosting international football is "understandable", it is "not acceptable".With the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) also set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, Caf is already taking measures to ensure security standards are met for CHAN."We've launched courses to train policemen, because the way that you manage security in the crowd in the stadium and outside the stadium are different," Mosengo-Omba added."So we train the police how to maintain safety security in stadium and we also train members of federation in order to improve the security."We will continue until the end of CHAN and Afcon."
Infrastructure works
Kenya will use two multi-purpose venues in Nairobi for CHAN; the 60,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium and the 22,000-seater Nyayo National Stadium.According to the country's local organising committee chief executive Mike Rabar, it is the latter that has concerned Caf the most."The biggest infrastructural set-backs so far are things like the perimeter wall in Nyayo, which should be ready by end of this month," Rabar told BBC Sport Africa."That is why Caf is not 100% giving us go ahead. There are small things."Entrances around the stadium have to be contained with turnstile infrastructure to make sure the traffic is managed in a way that flows in an organised manner."These are things that Caf is adamant about - safe security of the fans."Regarding the Kenya-Gabon game in March, where e-ticketing had been used and sales had ended a day before the game, Rabar said organisers "did well" in some elements."Of course there was infringement from weak infrastructure around the stadium," he added."Those are the spaces we want to focus on."Caf president Patrice Motsepe, who toured East Africa to check progress on CHAN preparations in December, will be expected to visit the region again soon.That trip will serve as a crucial deadline for the three host nations.On their part, Kenya's local organising committee is eager to be ready by the end of June."What is pending are small things like [computer] connectivity, power issues, communications," Rabar."Caf has set very high standards for us so we are trying to see how do we meet these standards and make sure that by the time we get to the first week of July we can host a game comfortably."Meanwhile, sports ministers from the three host nations have affirmed their commitment to hosting a successful tournament with a budget of $39m.Discussions for a 'Pamoja visa' to facilitate entry and movement are ongoing, and the three countries are also working on providing tax exemptions for equipment brought into their territories.