By Michelle Ndaga
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is under mounting pressure to overhaul its ticketing system after widespread chaos and frustration marred Sunday’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 match between Kenya and Morocco at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Hundreds of fans — many clutching what appeared to be valid tickets — were turned away after their passes were flagged as already scanned. Victims alleged they had unknowingly bought duplicate tickets from unscrupulous vendors who bulk-purchased and resold them to multiple buyers. The debacle sparked renewed concerns about corruption and inefficiencies in FKF’s operations. Former nominated MP Wilson Sossion, speaking to Citizen TV on Monday, called for a complete overhaul of the system. “If we need to monetize the creative economy and football, we must have a very efficient ticketing system that enables FKF to collect the desired revenue. These fraudsters are spoiling the broth. Corruption and inefficiencies within the FKF ticketing system must be dealt with,” he said.
Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngogoyo suggested the federation and government adopt alternative fan accommodation strategies, including setting up large viewing screens in other locations, to ease pressure on stadiums with limited capacity. “We also have more supporters than we can accommodate. The stampedes you see are teething problems,” he noted.
Tensions peaked on Sunday when some fans, frustrated by the lockout, attempted to scale the perimeter fence to gain entry, triggering a near-stampede. Despite heavy security, several breaches occurred, raising safety concerns and risking further penalties from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The incidents follow a recent CAF fine of KSh2.5 million against FKF for crowd control lapses, along with a warning of harsher sanctions if such scenes are repeated during the tournament, which Kenya is co-hosting with Uganda and Tanzania.
Public scrutiny is now intensifying over the unregulated ticket resale market outside Kasarani, with calls for FKF to urgently tighten controls before the situation escalates further.
