Big brother in town! CAF inspectors arrive in East Africa to check on proposed venues for CHAN 2024

CAF inspectors will arrive in East Africa on Wednesday to check on the region’s preparedness to host the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament.

The officials will start their visit in Uganda on Wednesday and Thursday after which they will visit Kenya, Zanzibar, and Tanzania in that order.

They will tour proposed venues for the matches in the three countries after which they will file an inspection report that will inform Africa football governing body’s final decision regarding the hosting rights for the tournament.

Uganda and Kenya are in a race against time to have their venues ready with the latter having started construction work at Kakamega’s Bukhungu Stadium which it has earmarked for the tournament.

It is not known yet if Uganda will present the Mandela International Stadium (Namboole), currently undergoing renovation, but Tanzania has settled on Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam while Zanzibar will use the newly-refurbished Amaan Sports Complex.

Of the four, Tanzania and Zanzibar appear ready on the stadium front with Kenya still miles off given Bukhungu was closed last month with work scheduled to last at least three months.

It is not clear what CAF will make of the developments at the stadium in Kakamega which is in the second phase of the facelift.

The first phase of the stadium’s upgrade involved offices of the county government, 200 capacity parking space, construction of stands, VIP and VVIP rooms, a doping control room and two changing rooms.

“We are constructing the right C-section and installing specialised features such as floodlights for night matches,” Kakamega governor Fernandes Barasa said of Bukhungu last week.

“We are also equipping the playing pitch with an advanced drainage and irrigation system in line with international standards. We expect to complete this in the next three months.”

The second phase will also see the main VIP stand, terraces, gym, six changing rooms, and dispensary room installed while the third phase will involve pitch earthworks, carpeting, and access roads among others.

East Africa will be keen to convince CAF that they will be ready in time to avoid lighting striking twice after Kenya had the hosting rights for the 2018 tournament taken away from them due to delay in preparations.

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