The Swahili word pamoja—meaning “together”—has become the unofficial slogan for the historic co-hosting of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. But despite the spirit of unity, disparities in readiness between the three nations are raising concerns at the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Originally postponed due to infrastructure delays, the tournament is now scheduled for August. Yet, Kenya appears to be trailing behind its neighbours, prompting fresh warnings from CAF.
“Uganda we can play yesterday, Tanzania we can play tomorrow, Kenya we can play tomorrow,” said CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba during a recent inspection in Nairobi.
“In Kenya, I’ve seen training pitches ready, changing rooms ready, stadium seats in place. They must maintain this momentum—if they stop, we don’t want CHAN to be here.”
Security Under Scrutiny
The biggest red flag remains crowd control and stadium safety, especially following the March 2025 World Cup qualifier where fans broke through gates at Nyayo National Stadium—Kenya’s first home fixture in nearly two years.
While Mosengo-Omba acknowledged that such lapses may stem from inexperience, he made it clear they are “not acceptable.”
CAF has since launched targeted training for police officers and football federation staff in Kenya, emphasizing stadium-specific security management.
“The way you manage security inside a stadium is different from outside,” he explained. “So we’re training both police and federation members. These efforts will continue through CHAN and even AFCON 2027.”
Spotlight on Nairobi’s Stadiums
Kenya will host CHAN matches at the 60,000-seat Kasarani Stadium and the 22,000-capacity Nyayo National Stadium. The latter has caused the most concern for CAF inspectors due to incomplete infrastructure.
“The biggest setback is the perimeter wall at Nyayo, which should be completed by the end of June,” said Mike Rabar, CEO of Kenya’s CHAN Local Organising Committee.
“CAF isn’t giving us the full go-ahead yet because of small but critical issues—like the lack of turnstiles to control fan flow.”
Although e-ticketing was used during the problematic Kenya-Gabon match, Rabar admitted weaknesses in the surrounding infrastructure contributed to the chaos.
“The infringement came from weak perimeter areas. These are our focus now.”
Tight Deadlines and Regional Coordination
CAF President Patrice Motsepe is expected to visit the region again soon—a trip widely seen as a final checkpoint before the tournament kicks off. Kenyan officials have set the end of June as their readiness deadline.
“Pending issues are mainly technical—power, internet, and communication,” said Rabar. “CAF has set very high standards, and we’re pushing to meet them before the first week of July.”
Meanwhile, ministers from the three host countries have reaffirmed their commitment to CHAN 2024 with a joint $39 million budget. Plans for a unified ‘Pamoja Visa’ to ease cross-border travel are underway, alongside discussions on tax exemptions for imported sports gear.
Despite the hurdles, East Africa’s pamoja dream for CHAN 2025 remains alive—but time is quickly running out.
