Last week, the whole country went wild with celebration following news that Kenya had bagged the hosting rights for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
However, the venues for the three East African nations have now drawn concerns from the governors of two counties in Western Kenya.
In a statement on Monday, Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o and his Kakamega counterpart Fernandez Barasa questioned the rationale of snubbing the two counties while identifying venues for the biennial continental showpiece.
“Western Kenya should have been included with either matches being held in Kisumu or Kakamega,” they said.
According to the two leaders, football enthusiasts are abundantly found in the Western region and not in Uasin Gishu county or Eldoret City for that matter.
They premise their argument on the fact that the success of football matches is purely based on fan attendance. They go on to state that Eldoret has athletes and athletic fans in millions but not football.
Nyongo and Barasa have expressed fear that the Cup of Nations matches could be played in empty stadiums, thus leaving the country with an egg on the face. They strongly feel politics might be at play and the region may have been sidelined owing to obvious reasons.
They have asked President William Ruto to intervene. The governor said there was still time to reconsider the decision.
They noted that co-hosts under the Pamoja bid — Uganda and Tanzania — have each chosen venues where fans might fill the stands.
In Uganda, they have proposed Kampala, Lira and Hoima while Tanzania have Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Arusha. All these locations boast of huge number of fans.
In an earlier speech at the beginning of the year, Governor Barasa said the upgrade of Bukhungu Stadium to international standards requires more than Sh5billion.
The governor spoke during the Elijah Lidonde football talent search for under 15 and under 17 at the stadium. He said the construction of the second phase of the stadium is 47 percent done with two more phases remaining.
Once complete, the 30,000-capacity stadium is expected to host facilities up to the level of Fifa standards.
These include VIP lounges, a VIP box, a press room, anti-doping testing rooms, team doctors’ rooms, a sportsmen hotel, four hire-out refreshment cafeterias, and staff offices.
In 2020, the Kisumu County government disclosed plans to build a 20,000-seater ultra-modern stadium for Sh1.3 billion on seven acres of land on which Moi Stadium currently sits.
Caf has set the minimum threshold for the stadiums that will host its matches. A minimum of 30,000 seats per stadium with VIP and VVIP seats separated from one another, emergency lighting, a public address system, and large displays are a few of them.
Floodlights with a minimum output of 1200 lux are also necessary for the quality of higher-definition television coverage. Additionally, 50 media representatives can be accommodated in a media area for conferences.
Training facilities must also have locker rooms, adjustable goals, and dressing rooms with at least 23 seats.
