Parliament issues stern order to AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee

The National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture has warned the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Local Organising Committee (LOC) that there will be no room for delays in delivering Kenya's hosting commitments.

The committee directed the LOC chaired by Nicholas Musonye to strictly adhere to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) timelines, particularly on key infrastructure projects such as Talanta Sports City, while also demanding accountability over expenditure on stadium consultancy services.

Responding to the committee, Musonye said hosting Africa's biggest football competition requires the full participation of government rather than relying solely on the Ministry of Sports.

"Afcon is a huge, huge event in our history. For us to succeed, we have put inter-agency coordination together."

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Musonye said successful AFCON hosts around the continent have adopted a whole-of-government approach, bringing together ministries, county governments and state agencies to ensure smooth planning and execution.

"Governments, ministries, county government ministries and other coordinating agencies have come together. AFCON has been implemented through a whole-of-government approach across the world, with ministries responsible for Sports, Interior, Health, Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Treasury and Transport, together with government agencies and national organising committees."

He said the model allows different institutions to work simultaneously while speeding up implementation.

"The integrated approach enables timely decision-making and coordinated implementation of critical activities."

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According to Musonye, every ministry has a defined responsibility in the preparations, ranging from security and healthcare to immigration, transport and financial support.

"We need ministries to coordinate. The Ministry of Interior has a role to play. The Ministry of Health has a role to play. The Ministry of Sports is the coordinating ministry, while others have a role to play in immigration and all that."

He also expressed confidence that Kenya has the capacity to host the influx of teams, officials and supporters expected during the tournament, citing the country's strong hospitality sector.

"Accommodation and hospitality is where our strength is. We are one of the best countries in accommodation and hospitality."

"So here, as chairman of the committee, I want to assure you we are on top of it."

Musonye added that Kenya's successful hosting of the African Nations Championship had already demonstrated the country's accommodation capacity and provided confidence that it is on course to stage a successful Afcon in 2027.

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