• The latest news comes days after the Caf inspection team toured the stadium on Monday and approved the progress of the renovation.
•According to Tum, Kasarani is also taking shape well at 35% and will be ready by December. The roofing which was a major concern is also getting a facelift.
Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia and FKF cup winners Kenya Police got a reprieve after assurance from Sports Principal Secretary, Eng. Peter Tum that they will play their continental preliminary matches at Nyayo National Stadium.
Nyayo and Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani had been blacklisted after failing to meet the Caf standards despite being closed for renovations.
The latest news comes days after the Caf inspection team toured the stadium on Monday and approved the progress of the renovation.
The PS, who accompanied the Caf team that has been in the country since Friday last week, said the upgrades will be completed in two weeks and he expects the stadium to be given a green light.
Among the areas of concern at Nyayo Stadium were the changing rooms, the scoreboard, flood lights the drainage system and the improved media centre from Level Two to Level Three
Tum assured Kenyans that the contractors are progressing well and Nyayo will be 100 per cent ready in a month. Gor Mahia, Police FC and Harambee Stars will, therefore, play their matches at home.
“The grass is well maintained and everything is taking shape. Caf are impressed with our speed and positive progress and we will be ready to host the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN) in September,” said Tum.
This comes barely two months after Harambee Stars played their 2026 World Cup qualifier matches against Burundi and Ivory Coast at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi in June due to a lack of approved facility.
This sparked an uproar from the public and football stakeholders, with Harambe Stars' captain Michael Olunga attributing their failure to get maximum points to a lack of fans.
Image: FILE
Stars were held to (1-1) and (0-0) draws by Burundi and Ivory Coast respectively. Shockingly, Bingu also failed to meet the CAF threshold this time.
Gor Mahia will battle South Sudanese champions El Merreikh Bentiu in the Caf Champions League preliminary on August 23 while Police will face Ethiopian Coffee in the Confederation Cup on the weekend of August 16-18. Harambee Stars will also play Afcon qualifier matches.
Meanwhile, Kenya's African Cup of Nations 2027 co-hosts Uganda and Tanzania have two approved stadiums each. Uganda brags of Mandela National Stadium and St Mary’s Stadium while Tanzania have Benjamin Mkapa and Azam Sports Complex.
In total Caf pre-approved 72 stadia across 54 African countries on June 13, ahead of the 1st and 2nd preliminary rounds of inter-club Championships set for August 22 to September 2024. South Africa leads with 11 approved stadia, followed by Ivory Coast, Egypt and Morocco with six each.
According to Tum, Kasarani is also taking shape well at 35% and will be ready by December. The roofing which was a major concern is also getting a facelift.
The third Kenyan stadium set to host the African bonanza is the 60,000-seater Talanta Sports City in Jamhuri, Nairobi, still under construction. The brand-new modern facility will cost US$250 million and has seen the contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation putting up a double shift to beat the December 2025 deadline.
Tum concluded that Talanta is at 40 per cent ready and he believes the Chinese who delivered the SGR and the Express Way, are on track to complete the masterpiece in time for the Afcon 2027 opening ceremony.
“Talanta Stadium has three training grounds and we will include Ulinzi complex training ground, while Nyayo and Kasarani will act as training ground and host venues. In Eldoret, we have identified four facilities that are being renovated to reach the Caf training ground standards.”