AFCON 2025: Kenya to host Zimbabwe in Uganda over stadia hitch

Kenya will have to rely on the goodwill of her neighbours in hosting international football matches for its continental and international qualifier games over lack of football stadiums.

Currently, all the existing football venues in the country do not meet the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) and Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards, making it the reason why Kenya has to move to Kampala in order to host Zimbabwe for the match.

Secretary General Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Barry Otieno confirmed that Kenya's national team, the Harambee Stars will host its first round of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches next year in Uganda.

The decision is a setback to Kenyan football fans and the national football team, Harambee Stars, who will be playing without home support. Kenyans also earlier in the year missed a chance to see Harambee Stars play African Champions Ivory Coast and Burundi in 2026 World Cup qualifiers, owing to the same reasons.

"We would want to play at home because it comes with the advantage of fans coming to support their team; fans are a physical element and part of football,"

"However, our stadiums that we would have used for the national teams have been closed and are being renovated so that they can meet the CAF standards ahead of CHAN 2025, set for January. As a result, CAF has been visiting Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for inspection to check the level of preparedness, so there is little time left," he said.

Otieno believes that the government is committed to ensuring that the soccer stadiums in the country meet international standards. "We urge all Kenyans to understand and let them complete the renovation. After they are completed we will not only have good stadiums but also our chances of hosting the competitions in future will not be quashed on grounds of stadia," he said.

Kenya is in the same group with Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Namibia, in the race for AFCON 2025 scheduled to be held in Morocco.

Poor preparations and unending wrangles has in the past cost Kenya dearly in its bid to play at the continental football bonanza. Harambee Stars missed out on qualification for the 2023 edition due to FIFA ban in 2022, brought by what the world football governing body referred as third party interference with the running of football in Kenya.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa recently revealed that the country's two biggest stadiums, Kasarani and Nyayo, are not fit to host international football matches.

Harambee Stars will play its AFCON qualifier against Zimbabwe in Uganda next month because Kenyan stadia do not meet the standards set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host high-magnitude matches.

— Chemingoes (@Koecheruiyot) August 20, 2024

The two facilities were barred from staging international games way back in 2021 and little has been done since then, to ensure that Kenya gets back into the list of the countries with an approved ground, passed fit to host international assignments.

"Nyayo needs a roof so that you are not rained on. It needs lighting and the biggest thing that it needs is a ticketing system. A software where you can print your tickets but also where you can tap your tickets on a turnstile, open it and go to your seat.

We also need some perimeter form to make sure people cannot access the ground. The one there is not how it is supposed to be. You can also not announce something to the whole stadium at Nyayo Stadium so a public address system needs to be installed," Mwendwa said during a past television interview.

"Kasarani has a roof which is fantastic, has enough space in terms of boxes but the changing rooms need some work. It only has two toilets instead of six, a small issue which can be worked on. The benches also need to be fixed.

On both stadiums, the grass is an issue. At Kasarani, the drainage does not take away water completely when it rains. They also need the software for a public address system, for ticketing and for entry into the stadium," the FKF President added.