Principal Secretary in the State Department for Sports, Elija Mwangi, together with the Local Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations, have assured the National Assembly’s Select Committee on Regional Integration that Kenya is working towards readiness to co-host next year’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
Speaking before the Committee chaired by MP Irene Mayaka, PS Mwangi and the Local Organising Committee, chaired by former CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye, further revealed that Kenya is well positioned to host both the opening and closing ceremonies of the tournament, which is scheduled for June and July next year.
“We stand a good chance to host both the opening and closing ceremonies. This is because of the new facility – the Talanta, Raila Odinga Stadium – that is at 95% completion,” said Musonye.
“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 good ranking as they come for audit. We are at 80% in terms of preparations which is the benchmark,” he added.
Dates for AFCON 2027
Under the PAMOJA AFCON initiative, the Committee was further informed that the host nations held a high-level kick-off meeting in Kampala, Uganda. During the meeting, they reviewed the tournament roadmap and reaffirmed that AFCON 2027 will be held from 19th June to 17th July 2027.
The three countries are jointly working on infrastructure preparedness, hospitality, safety and security, media and broadcast readiness, as well as a common visa to ease movement across the host nations.
The Committee expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness, noting that the success of the one-month tournament would have significant economic benefits not only for Kenya, but for the entire East African region.
“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,” MP Mayaka said.
“To demonstrate our commitment, we will conduct tours of our stadiums in the country and possibly in Uganda and Tanzania to see what our neighbors have done. We want to ensure that everything is on track,” she added.
