The Principal Secretary in the State Department for Sports, Eng. Peter Tum, has reassured that the construction works at the Kenyan facilities earmarked for this year’s Africa Nations Championship are ongoing at the required pace ahead of the August tournament.
Speaking today when he opened the CHAN Local Organising Committee workshop, Sports Permanent Secretary Eng. Peter Tum clarified that the second phase of stadium upgrades will be completed next month.
Eng. Tum said the government’s target is to now also focus on preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament after kick-off dates for the Chan competition were pushed from this month to August.
The CHAN competition will run in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from August 2 to 30 after being moved from this month.
Kenya has been drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, and Angola in the Chan tournament.
Eng. Tum today also expressed his faith in the recently elected Football Kenya Federation (FKF) executive, led by Mr. Hussein Mohammed, confident that they will help reclaim the sport’s lost pride.
“The government is ready to make football great again because we now have the right team in the FKF office,” PS Tum said, noting that the key elements that need to be addressed include infrastructure development and proper preparation of the national team, “Harambee Stars,” besides ensuring good governance of the sport. “In recent times, we have done well with unprecedented renovations of three key stadiums, never seen before, at the Nyayo National Stadium, Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and the Kip Keino Stadium in Eldoret. We also need to prepare our national team properly, and the government is ready to work with the FKF towards this end,” the PS noted.
“We cannot afford to fail Kenyans.” The taxpayers have given you the resources and the opportunity to run the sport, and there’s no room to let them down.” PS Tum was giving the keynote address as he opened a two-day workshop for Kenya’s Chan/Afcon National Steering Committee and Secretariat at the Moi International Sports Centre’s Stadion Hotel today .
Also in attendance was CAF’s CHAN/AFCON host country manager for Kenya, Mr. Kabelo Bosilong, and Confederation of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Auka Gecheo.
PS Tum also inspected works at the Kasarani Stadium, disclosing that following the shifting of the Chan kick-off dates from this month to August, the government and Kenyan organisers had adjusted their work plan to embark on works that had been scheduled for post-Chan with the 2017 AFCON Finals in mind.
Eng. Tum noted that Phase Two of the Kasarani Stadium works will now be completed next month, and these include fixing the sound system and completing the canopy covering the stadium.
He explained that for the Chan tournament initially earmarked for this month, CAF had ruled that the Kasarani’s canopy should be “at least 25 percent complete” with the rest of the work to be completed from next month after the tournament.
“Following the postponement, the rest of the 75 percent will now be worked on, and we shall work on match fixtures to test the stadiums,” PS Tum said. “Caf will then do a final assessment and decide which will be the lead stadium and which will be the support stadium between Kasarani and Nyayo. We are not under any pressure, and we are ready to abide by all directions by CAF. “We are also working with the private sector with a view to maintaining the stadiums to international standards,” Eng. Tum added.
