Following remarks made by President William Ruto during his tour of the area, Kisumu County is expected to host part of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations games.
President Ruto made the announcement that Kisumu is a potential host city while speaking at the MV Uhuru II’s launch at the Kisumu Shipyard.
“Among many other provisions, we also decided on how to disseminate out all of the facilities around Kenya and host all of the competitions we have, starting with Afcon, Chan, Cecafa, and all the others…
“I want to reassure you, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o, that we have considered Kisumu’s position in hosting at least part of the tournaments that we have dispersed around the nation,” the president said.
The action is the result of a petition signed by the governors of Anyang’ Nyong’o and Kakamega, Fernandez Barasa, criticising the selection of locations for the games.
The governors made anecdotal allegations that the Western area is where “football enthusiasts exist in abundance and not in Uashin Gishu, or Eldoret for that matter,” and that, as a result, either matches must have been hosted in Kisumu or Kakamega.
They said that “Eldoret has athletes and athletic fans in the millions, but not football,” and that “the ultimate outcome of the matches will be on the turn-out at the stadium where those matches would be held.”
The county leaders objected when Eldoret and Nairobi were chosen as the venues for the matches.
The governors had taken notice that each of their neighbours, who are hosting the tournament alongside Kenya as part of the Pamoja bid, had suggested three locations for it.
Tanzania listed its potential locations as Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, and Arusha, while Uganda suggested Kampala, Lira, and Hoima.
Although President Ruto’s declaration raises the prospect of Kisumu hosting Afcon games, it is crucial to remember that all potential stadiums are still awaiting CAF clearance after an examination of the infrastructure.