Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has assured Kenyans that the government is working around the clock to pay the Ksh3.9 billion Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosting fee before the deadline.
Speaking on Wednesday, March 25, while appearing before the Senate, CS Mvurya said the Ministry of Sports is coordinating with the National Treasury to ensure the mandatory fee is paid to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
“On the matter of AFCON hosting fee, Kenya is supposed to pay Ksh3.9 billion. We are already working with the National Treasury and the requisite committee in parliament to comply with our financial obligation.
“I want to assure Kenyans that the government is working around the clock to make sure we meet our obligations,” said CS Mvurya.
The Sports CS also said the ministry is taking steps to ensure the country meets the CAF infrastructural requirements ahead of the 2027 AFCON tournament.
This comes days after Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi warned that Kenya risks losing the hosting rights of the 2027 AFCON if it does not pay the hosting fee of Ksh3.9 billion by March 30, 2026.
Mwangi, who appeared before the National Assembly’s Sports and Culture Committee on Thursday, March 19, urged the committee to intervene and request the National Treasury to allocate the funds to the Ministry of Sports.
“We have received communication from CAF giving the timelines on the activities that should be done in readiness to host the CHAN. We appreciate the National Treasury because in the 2026/2027 BPS, there was an allocation of around Ksh5 billion, with Ksh3.5 billion being the hosting fees.
“But in the light of the recent communication from CAF, we have been given up to the 30th of March to clear the payment of hosting fees,” PS Mwangi said.
The Sports PS noted that both Uganda and Tanzania, which will co-host the 2027 AFCON with Kenya, have already paid their hosting fees.
The committee chairperson, Dan Wanyama, assured the department that the committee will push for the release of the funds.
“We have heard you, and we will push Treasury to release money for the hosting rights so that we do not get into the quark mire of us being denied to host AFCON, and then we give a chance to our neighbors to do so. It will be a big shame to Kenya, which has always been a big brother in the region,” he said.
Kenya secured the rights to co-host the tournament together with Tanzania and Uganda in September 2023.
The three East African nations presented a unified “Pamoja” bid for Africa’s premier football tournament, outshining rival proposals from Senegal, Egypt, and Botswana.
