For the past one month, Harambee Stars has been the talk of town majorly because of the country’s ability to host a successful 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
While Stars were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage, the goodwill from the fans all through the tournament isn’t something that shouldn’t be taken for granted with the plea now, coming from football stakeholders, is for the Football Kenya Federation to tap on the same crowd for forthcoming league games.
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While CHAN was a success majorly because of the support of the home fans, a lot of credit need to go to the Government of the day in ensuring that the tournament was hosted at home after the Confederations of African Football (CAF) had stripped us off the hosting rights previously when the then Government failed to offer the required grounds on time.
Over the past three years, the Kenyan government has placed sports infrastructure at the heart of its development agenda, signaling a renewed commitment to nurturing talent and raising the country’s sporting profile on the global stage. Recognizing that world-class performance requires world-class facilities, the State has embarked on ambitious renovations and new construction projects across the nation.
At CHAN, Kenya who were one of the co-hosts with Uganda and Tanzania, used the Moi Sports Center Kasarani Stadium and Nyayo Stadium for the game; both facilities undergoing significant upgrades to meet international standards. These improvements are intended not only to provide a platform for the CHAN competition but for future assignments like the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which we are to host in 2027.
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With AFCON coming, the government is also overseeing the construction of the Talanta City Sports Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility scheduled for completion in February 2026. This project reflects the administration’s vision of building a modern sports hub that will serve both elite athletes and local communities.
Other grounds that are set to benefit from the forthcoming showpiece are grassroots grounds in Kirinyaga (Wang’uru), Kericho (Kericho Green), Kisumu (Moi Stadium), Homa Bay (Raila Odinga Stadium), Embu (Moi Stadium), Bungoma (Masinde Muliro Stadium), and Kwale; some being newly constructed while some will be undergoing major renovations. In addition, projects such as Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui, Kipchoge Keino in Eldoret, and Bukhungu in Kakamega highlight the broad scope of this investment drive.
By spreading such facilities across all 47 counties, the government aims to decentralize sports opportunities, allowing athletes from every region to train and compete in modern arenas. In what will be a deliberate strategy to unlock Kenya’s sporting potential, inspire the next generation, and foster unity through sport, Kenya is slowly becoming a sports hub and more backing from the cooperate world is need to compliment this work.
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We can confidently host regional tournaments like the CECAFA CAF Women Champions League Qualifiers which is currently ongoing in Nairobi and the East Africa School Ball Games that was concluded in Kakamega County last month.
With the leagues set to kick off at the end of September, teams are now going to have more options in picking grounds as their home grounds but a lot still needs to be done to ensure that we don’t overuse our major facilities more so in Nairobi as a chunk of teams are concentrated in that area.
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