Kenya will host the 2027 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) opening and closing ceremonies.
The announcement was made by the Office of State House Spokesperson on Sunday, revealing that the two events will be hosted at the Talanta Sports City Stadium which also expected to host the first match as well as the final when the champions will be crowned.
Talanta Sports City Stadium that is under construction and is expected to be ready in time to host the continental showpiece.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania placed a joint bid dubbed EAC Pamoja Bid which was selected to host the 2027 football event.
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Despite the three East African nations winning the hosting rights for the 2027 AFCON, winning bids of the last six tournaments suggest it is not given unless they put their houses in order in time.
The three nations are racing against time to ensure that all is in place for the tournament.
In Kenya, Kasarani, Nyayo and Kipchoge Keino stadiums are set to be refurbished to the required standards to host matches along with the Talanta City Stadium that is under construction by the military.
Similar plans are underway in Tanzania and Uganda where major stadia are set for renovation.
CS Ababu Namwamba's remarks after EAC Pamoja bid was selected to host AFCON 2027
Sports CS Ababu Namwamba welcomed the decision to have Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania host AFCON 2027, noting that the three countries have what bit takes to host a successful tournament.
“Many of you believed we could not win the bid to host AFCON 2027 but because of the team we put together, the lobbying we had done, the backroom diplomatic blitz that we had undertaken and the support of Presidents William Ruto, Yoweri Museveni and Samia Suluhu, I was so sure after I made the presentation to CAF, I went to sleep because I was so confident,” Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba said shortly after the EAC Pamoja bid was selected to host the tournament.
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“There were so any doubting Thomas’s in Nairobi, there were even those who did not want us to get this bid, they were praying.
“Now they are praying that like in 1996 when we got it and it was taken away, like in 2018 when we got CHAN and it was taken away, they are now praying that it is taken away, I am sorry to disappoint you, this is going nowhere.” Namwamba added.