Nairobi — Newly elected Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed is confident the country will co-host the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) in February next year.
Mohammed says he will reach out to Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen as his first order of business to speed up the preparations.
“Of course we will be reaching out immediately to the Cabinet Secretary and other stakeholders as well…potential partners…on how we can make sure we are caught up in a crisis with regards to the big tournaments and events that are coming up,” he said.
Kenya has until the end of the year to get the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium ready for the tournament even as contractors burn the midnight oil to finish works on both venues.
This is after a visit by Confederation of African Football (Caf) officials to the country last week, during which they inspected the two venues as well as designated hotels for accomodation and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Whereas Kenya passed with flying colours as pertains to accommodation and other infrastructure, the unpreparedness of its stadia stuck out like a sore thumb.
Also battling against time are the construction works on Ulinzi Complex and Police Sacco Stadium, which are earmarked as training pitches during the tournament.
Should Kenya fail to complete works on the stadia on time, Rwanda is reportedly waiting to come on board as the third co-host for the tourney — joining Uganda and Tanzania.
Speaking in the aftermath of his election as Kenya’s top football administrator on Saturday, Mohammed admitted the herculean task that awaits him.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that the work is cut out for us. As we speak, we have a lot on our plate…we have to settle in very quickly. We have to take the bull by the horns; we have critical milestones that we must meet if we are to meet the deadlines set by Caf,” the president said.
Moreover, he admitted the country’s dilapidated stadia but expressed hope it will become a thing of the past.
“I know we have a lot of work to do with the stadia. The competition is around the corner and every Kenyan is anxious to see if we are able to meet those specific deadlines but I am very confident the government is committed. My team will also move with speed to put in place the preparations that are required,” Mohammed added.
Kenya has twice missed out on hosting continental football competitions: the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and the 2018 CHAN.
On both occasions, the sucker punch was the country’s lack of preparedness and world class sports infrastructure.
The country is also set to co-host the 2027 Afcon alongside Tanzania and Uganda and is currently constructing the 60,000-seater Talanta City Stadium.
The stadium is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
