CAF officials in town to inspect CHAN venues as CS Mvurya talks up Stars preps

Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, has announced that the Ministry of Sports has officially commenced plans for preparations for the national football team, Harambee Stars, ahead of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), which is set to take place from August 2 to 30.

Mvurya’s calls come amidst scrutiny of Kenya’s readiness to host the second-tier biennial continental football competition.

The eighth edition of the biennial tournament, which features players based in their home leagues, will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It will mark the first time in the tournament’s history that three nations will jointly stage the competition. The CHAN tournament also serves as a precursor to the much-anticipated 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which the same trio of countries will also host.

A delegation from the Confederation of African Football [Caf] is in the meantime in Nairobi to inspect the match venues- Nyayo and Kasarani – as well as training venues such as Police Sacco Stadium, Kasarni Annex and the Kirigiti Stadium.

With renovation and construction works ongoing across various football facilities in the country, CS Mvurya stated that attention is now turning toward assembling and preparing a formidable national squad for the continental showdown.

“The next few weeks will be crucial,” said Mvurya. “I will be focusing on preparing our team, Harambee Stars, to ensure they are in top shape and ready to win the CHAN trophy. That is our goal.”

Kenya has been drawn in a challenging Group A alongside CHAN powerhouses Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as Angola and Zambia. The group presents a tough test, as both Morocco and DRC have each won the CHAN title twice,making them the most successful nations in the tournament's history.

Angola and Zambia have also had strong showings at CHAN in past editions. Angola reached the final in 2011 in Sudan, where they finished runners-up after a 3-0 defeat to Tunisia. Zambia claimed third place in the 2009 tournament by edging out Senegal 2-1 in the playoff.