Nicholas Musonye Insists Kenya Has Capacity to Host AFCON 2027 Independently if Needed

AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye has reassured fans that Kenya is ready to host the continental tournament, even if it ultimately has to take on the responsibility independently.

Despite lingering concerns over East Africa’s preparedness to stage the competition, Nicholas Musonye downplayed the doubts, insisting there is still sufficient time to address the key issues previously raised by the Confederation of African Football.

He emphasised that ongoing efforts are already being made to improve infrastructure and meet the required standards, expressing confidence that progress will continue in the coming months.

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Nicholas Musonye stated that Kenya still has adequate time to finalise its preparations ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, expressing strong confidence in the country’s readiness to stage the tournament.

Musonye highlighted the firm backing from the government as a key factor that will help drive the project forward and ensure all requirements are met within the set timelines.

He further explained that Kenya possesses sufficient infrastructure to successfully host the competition, pointing to major stadiums in Nairobi as well as additional facilities in other regions such as Eldoret.

Nicholas Musonye added that ongoing developments, including new and upgraded venues, are progressing well and will further strengthen Kenya’s hosting capacity.

He emphasised that, based on the available facilities and continued improvements, the nation is capable of delivering the tournament independently if necessary.

“We have one year and a few months. We are prepared, and with the President on our side, we are going to host AFCON 2027. Even on our own, we can host AFCON (Without Tanzania and Uganda),” Nicholas Musonye said in an interview on KASS FM.

“We have Nyayo, Kasarani, and we have the giant Talanta, coming up nicely. We have three venues in Nairobi. We also have venues in Eldoret…we have the ability.”

Nicholas Musonye explained that when Senegal hosted the previous CHAN tournament, the hosting rights were not awarded through a competitive bidding process.

He noted that Kenya had already expressed interest in staging AFCON shortly after Egypt hosted the tournament in 2019, at a time when Côte d’Ivoire had secured the rights to host the 2023 edition.

He added that the Confederation of African Football opted to grant CHAN hosting duties to the East African trio of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania as a way of assessing their preparedness to stage a larger tournament like AFCON.

Musonye emphasised that this decision ultimately worked in their favour, as it provided a valuable opportunity to test infrastructure, organisation, and readiness ahead of the 2027 continental showpiece.

“When Senegal hosted the previous CHAN, there was no bid. Kenya bid for AFCON after Egypt, and at the time, Cote d’Ivoire had been given the rights to host the 2023 edition, and CAF wanted to be sure that Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania could host AFCON, so they gave us CHAN. That was a good thing for us,” he added.