Revealed: How Kenya’s Deal with Man United Collapsed Before ‘Visit Rwanda’ Became Popular

Rwanda continues to hog the limelight across the globe thanks to its various sleeve sponsorship deals with top football clubs across the globe but it has now been revealed the idea was first mooted by Kenya.

‘Visit Rwanda’ had been on the sleeve of Premier League champions Arsenal since 2018 until it ended in June 2026 and is now on the shirt of Aston Villa as well as La Liga giants Atletico Madrid and European champions Paris Saint-Germain.

However, according to Mike Macharia, CEO of the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers, Kenya came up with the idea first and was set to sign a five-year deal with Manchester United before it all collapsed due to a government policy.

“In 2014, we had this discussion with Manchester United…KTB [Kenya Tourism Board], the industry and Manchester United,” Macharia disclosed on Citizen TV.

“We had that discussion and we came back with a proposal. The issue is that at that time, our budgeting cycles were on a yearly basis and these guys wanted to sign a five-year deal.”

Macharia says that the deal ran into problems when it became clear that the government would not change its budgeting regulations to accommodate the partnership.

“So it was very difficult to convince the Treasury here [that] let’s do a five-year deal from the part of a government that budgets yearly and we went back and said we need to change this cycle particularly for marketing and when it comes to KTB,” he added.

“We wanted them to make it flexible for the Tourism Board. Two years down the road, we saw it on Hull City before it went to Arsenal. Rwanda picked it up and put it on Hull City.”

All this was aimed at marketing the country through the Kenya Tourism Board via Magical Kenya and while Rwanda has since run away with it, Macharia feels it is an idea that can still be revived.

“We do need to convince the government , particularly the Treasury, to look at certain areas of marketing and exempt them from certain rules,” he further stated.

Manchester United remains one of the most popular clubs in the world with a cult-like following even with their struggles on the pitch.