Kenya is making a strong push to secure the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with organisers saying preparations for the continental competition have reached 80 per cent.
The country’s bid has received a boost from the progress at the new Talanta Raila Odinga Stadium, which is now 95 per cent complete and is expected to play a major role when Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania stage the tournament.
Officials from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) told the National Assembly’s Select Committee on Regional Integration that Kenya has made enough progress to remain in contention for the two high-profile ceremonies.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, with the three East African countries sharing hosting duties under the Pamoja AFCON arrangement.
Former CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye, who chairs the LOC, said the quality of Kenya’s facilities, security and hospitality sector could work in the country’s favour when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) assesses the preparations.
“Members, we stand a good chance to host both the opening and closing ceremonies; this is because the new facility, the Talanta, Raila Odinga Stadium, is at 95 per cent completion,” Musonye said.
“Above this, we also have good security and the best hotels in the region; we are confident that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will give us a good ranking as they come for audit. We are at 80 per cent in terms of preparations, which is the benchmark.”
The Principal Secretary in the State Department for Sports, Elija Mwangi, and members of the organising team also told MPs that efforts were continuing to ensure Kenya meets the requirements needed to host the competition.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have already started coordinating their plans, with a high-level meeting held in Kampala to review the roadmap for the tournament.
The preparations cover a wide range of areas, including stadiums, hotels, security, transport, media and broadcasting facilities. The three governments are also developing a common visa system intended to ease travel between the countries during the competition.
The parliamentary committee said it was satisfied with the progress and pledged to keep monitoring preparations in the three host nations.
“Parliament has a strong interest in sports and has always been ready to support you. We have been following your preparations closely, and we just want to encourage you. To demonstrate our commitment, we will conduct tours of our stadiums in the country and possibly in Uganda and Tanzania to see what our neighbours have done. We want to ensure that everything is on track,” Nominated MP Irene Mayaka said.
Musonye said Kenya should view AFCON 2027 as more than a football competition, arguing that the projects being undertaken could leave the country with facilities capable of supporting international events for years.
“There are many areas where we are going to benefit. One of them is infrastructure. We are going to have the best infrastructure in Africa,” he said.
He listed the Raila Odinga International Stadium, the ongoing renovation of Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and the work being carried out at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret among the key developments linked to AFCON preparations.
The 60,000-capacity Raila Odinga International Stadium is also being positioned as one of the major venues for the tournament, with its construction having crossed the 92 per cent mark.
Musonye said the work being done could put Kenya in a position to host the entire continental competition by itself in future.
“And eventually, Kenya alone will be able to host AFCON in some time, 10 years to come,” he said.
He said the stadium upgrades would remain valuable after AFCON 2027, providing better venues for international competitions and helping Kenya attract more major sporting events.
“So in terms of benefits that we are going to derive out of AFCON, infrastructure is going to be the main one. And this is going to be a legacy that AFCON is going to leave behind for generations to come,” he said.
Beyond sports facilities, Musonye said the tournament could create new opportunities for businesses and communities across the region by increasing movement between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
“Apart from that, we are going to have the East African Community benefits: tourism, trade, and all that,” Musonye said.
He said the tournament could also be used to strengthen relationships between East African countries and neighbouring states, creating wider regional links.
“So we are using AFCON to build the resilience of people in East Africa,” he said, adding that the tournament could bring Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia closer to the three host countries as part of a wider East and Central African bloc.