Kenya's LOC Urged to Embrace Teamwork as AFCON 2027 Preparations Gather Pace: 'Drop All Indifferences'

Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has called on the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to foster absolute unity and rise above factional interests as preparations for the continental showpiece accelerate.

Addressing the newly established steering committee led by Nicholas Musonye, Salim Mvurya stressed that personal dynamics must be discarded in favour of a single-minded national objective.

He noted that the multi-agency body brings together a wealth of expertise, but its success hinges on its ability to execute as one cohesive unit.

"This meeting was focusing on re-emphasising the mandate of the local organising committee in the preparation. And I'm very happy that this local organising committee will work as a team because it is multi-agency,” Salim Mvurya said.

“It is bringing different experiences from the private sector, from football administration, from county governments and therefore this is a multi-agency arrangement that is going to be in charge of preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Within the local organising committee, they are multi-skilled, but they need to work as a team. They need to drop all differences, all interests, to make sure that the interest of the nation, Kenya, becomes the priority mandate that they work on."

To guarantee operational efficiency across logistics, security, and infrastructure, the Sports CS confirmed it will coordinate direct inter-ministerial assistance for the committee.

Salim Mvurya assured the LOC of unwavering administrative backing from the highest levels of the state apparatus to ensure every operational benchmark is delivered seamlessly.

"So as a ministry, we will provide them with the necessary support. We will make sure that they have the necessary support from my office, the office of the PS,” he said.

“But again, we will be mobilising on a whole government approach to bring on board ministries and agencies of government that have a role to play in making AFCON a very successful and memorable event for Kenya."

Beyond the football action on the pitch, Sports CS Salim Mvurya emphasised that hosting Africa’s flagship sporting event offers a generational opportunity to stimulate key economic sectors.

He pointed out that government agencies are already mobilising to leverage the tournament’s immense audience to position Kenya as a top global destination for trade and travel.

"I did emphasise that the Africa Cup of Nations is not just a sporting event, but this is a tournament which brings Kenya together. It is a tournament that also inspires the different facets of our economy. Tourism, for example, will be very, very critical, and I have advised that it is important to make sure that we use the opportunity to market our magical Kenya,” Mvurya said.

“And the Kenya Tourism Board is already working on an arrangement to see how they can be part of the partners in the Africa Cup of Nations. This tournament again brings a whole profile for our country to be a strategic investment destination, and therefore we are not just looking at this tournament as a football competition. We are looking at this tournament as an opportunity to rally our economic inspiration so that they can also be inspired during this period."