Government, Confederation of African Football at odds over Kasarani Stadium skyboxes
Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 18.05.26. | 12:41
Despite renovations taking place less than a year ago, the facility has once again been closed for upgrade in preparation for the 2027 AFCON
A standoff is looming between the Government of Kenya (GoK) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the latter's proposed construction of 61 skyboxes at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani.
Both Kasarani and the Raila Odinga International Stadium are earmarked to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) matches.
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Kasarani was also Kenya’s main stadium during the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), a venture that caused its closure for almost two years to pave the way for renovations.
Despite renovations taking place less than a year ago, the facility has once again been closed for upgrade in preparation for the 2027 AFCON.
It is the current renovations that have now caused a storm between CAF and FKF as the former has proposed the construction of 61 skyboxes at the facility.
A skybox is an exclusive, private luxury suite, located strategically high up in the stadium with a breathtaking panoramic view.
The amenities are specially designed to provide unparalleled comfort, including a climate-controlled environment, TVs, a private bar, drinks, snacks and dedicated personnel to attend to the guests.
Skyboxes are specially designed to target high-end corporate and industry leaders to enjoy the game while also engaging in business deals for the benefit of the game.
Currently, Kasarani does not have even a single skybox with VVIP guests and corporate leaders always utilizing the presidential lounge which cannot accommodate all guests.
While the government is not opposed to skyboxes at the facility, they expressed their concerns to CAF over the inconvenience of having the same at Kasarani.
“The technical assessment by Sports Kenya indicates that the construction of the 61 skyboxes would require major structural interference with already existing critical infrastructure at Kasarani. Reworking the stadium at this stage risks delaying Kenya’s readiness timelines, and therefore discussions with CAF are ongoing on this specific element,” said CS Salim Mvurya.
“We made a deliberate technical decision to consistently and periodically engage CAF at every stage of construction to ensure there is no non-compliance. So far, we are progressing concurrently and satisfactorily,” he added.
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However, for the Raila Odinga International Stadium - Talanta, which will be the main facility for the continental tourney, Kenya is constructing 52 skyboxes.