The Confederation of African Football on Wednesday awarded the joint hosting rights for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Caf President Patrice Motsepe proclaimed the East Africa Pamoja Bid as the winner of the right to organise the greatest African football extravaganza following the continental body's executive committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt.
Motsepe lavished praise on the three East African countries for displaying passion in their bid, adding their level of commitment augured well for the premier biennial continental showpiece.
"The 2027 edition is going to be beautiful. The commitment and drive made by the three presidents of the countries shows how eager the region is to host this event," Motsepe added.
The East African triumvirate won the hosting rights over Egypt, Senegal, Botswana, and Algeria, who withdrew from the competition two days before it was officially announced.
It, therefore, means that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have automatically punched tickets to the 2027 Afcon as hosts.
Ababu Namwamba, the Sports Cabinet Secretary for Kenya, and his counterparts from Tanzania and Uganda, Damas Ndumbaro and Peter Ogwang, respectively, spearheaded the East African bid.
The bid, valued at approximately Sh335.7 billion, has garnered full backing from the three football federations, each committing to provide about Sh147 billion towards the project.
The Caf has advised that the funds be deposited by January 2025. Only two Cecafa countries have previously hosted the Afcon.
Sudan staged the first edition in 1957 and was privileged to host it again in 1970, while Ethiopia got an opportunity to host the tournament in 1962, 1968, and 1976.
Caf previously awarded Kenya the rights to host both the 1996 Afcon and the 2018 African Nations Championships (Chan).
However, the confederation later revoked those rights due to the nation's failure to make sufficient preparations in both instances.
Reacting to the news, President William Ruto congratulated the three countries for bagging the bid.
He said that the countries will mobilise resources to deliver a world-class tournament.
"I have been informed that Kenya together with Uganda and Tanzania have managed to be the host of Afcon 2027. I want to thank the Sports ministry that all the plans we had of changing the ministry have started taking shape," he said.
"Many people did not believe that we had a chance of hosting the Afcon 2027 because of the state of our football and the state of our sports in general but I am very proud today that Kenya together with our partners in Kenya and Uganda have won this chance," he said.
Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua termed the development a huge success, adding that it was a big honour to the region and a testament to the fruits of the East African spirit of togetherness.
"Sports diplomacy holds a special place in our global engagements. Foreign Office Kenya looks forward to playing its role fully to make this historic event a memorable one," he said.
Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa stated shortly after the announcement that preparations for the tournament would begin immediately.
"The work has just begun. Winning the bid is only the first step. We worked hard to win and come out on top, but the effort didn't stop there. The real work begins now," Mwendwa said.
"We need concerted efforts to get the tournament going so we don't lose it like we have in the past," he added.
Kenya will hold its matches at Moi Stadium, Kasarani, and Nyayo Stadium — both located in Nairobi - as well as the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.
All three facilities have been earmarked for a facelift. The Ministry of Sports also announced plans to construct the Talanta stadium in the coming months.
Last week, Namwamba handed over the responsibility for the construction and renovation of four key stadia to the Kenya Defence Forces.
They include the 30,000-seater Nyayo Stadium, 60,000-seater Moi Stadium, Kasarani, Kipchoge Keino Stadium, and an all-new Jamhuri facility named ‘Talanta Sports City'.
The CS described the move as a strategic step in aligning with the government’s ambitious plan to host the 2027 Afcon. The decision to entrust KDF with the renovations and construction of these stadiums stems from their remarkable achievement in constructing the 10,000-seater Ulinzi Sports Complex in record time, commencing the project in October 2022.
“It would be a great honour to host Afcon in partnership with our neighbours. Plans are in place to renovate our stadiums,” Namwamba said.
Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Patrick Mariru, is optimistic that the Talanta Stadium will be completed in two years.
"The Ministry of Defence has been invited to take part in this fantastic effort by the nation to host the Africa Cup of Nations. We contend that this is a significant national undertaking that deserves everyone's full support," he said.
PS Mariru stated, "I would like to reassure the public that we are prepared as the Ministry of Defence and we shall do this within the established time or less."
Caf raised a red flag on Kenyan facilities after declining to include Kasarani and Nyayo stadia on its list of approved venues.
The Cairo-based organisation released names of approved stadia in the region with Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa being the only facility that made it to the list.
Kenya suffered a major setback in 2021 when both the Moi Stadium Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium were barred from hosting international games.
The Caf inspection committee said the two Kenyan facilities did not meet the required standard to stage Fifa and Caf matches including the World Cup/Caf qualifiers and club competitions.
The appraisal of the two facilities was part of the assessment for the approval of the Fifa World Cup 2022 qualifiers.
Uganda has only mentioned Namboole Stadium but remains open to other options.
The country is currently refurbishing Nakivubo Stadium with impeccable sources intimating that Kakyeka in Mbarara, Buhinga in Fort Portal, and Akii Bua in Lira have already been earmarked for renovation.
The Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Tanzania is the only Caf-certified stadium in East Africa. But the Chamazi Complex and CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza can also serve equally well with some excellent renovation.
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.
While unveiling the East African Community ‘Pamoja Bid’ at State House, Nairobi four months ago, President William Ruto said the submission was part of the government’s plan to tap into the wide pool of skills and talents in the country.
“I am happy to announce today that we have joined our brothers and sisters in Tanzania and Uganda in mounting a joint bid to the Confederation of African Football for the opportunity to host the 2027 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations,” Ruto said then.
“None of us has had the opportunity of hosting this continental tournament before,” he added.
He said the government had unveiled a robust campaign to attract premier international sports and athletics events to Kenya to stimulate local sports, promote tourism, create employment, and enhance our national sporting and athletics brand.
The president said the country would continue to pride itself on hosting some of the most celebrated global sporting events.
“Kenya has made various bids to host international events and as recently as last week we hosted the Kip Keino Classic, an international track and field meet affiliated with the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
He added that a long-term intervention will be the attraction of premier international sports and athletics events to Kenya.
“This will stimulate local sports, promote tourism, create employment, and enhance our national sporting and athletic brand.”
Kenya is set to benefit from many upgraded and significantly enhanced infrastructures that will remain behind once the tournament comes to a close.
Other benefits include short-term economic boosts such as the surge in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that form the backbone of President Ruto’s Bottom-Up economic model.
The land transport sector — the boda bodas— will gain massively as the operators ferry spectators from different parts of the country to the stadiums.