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Kenya chasing 2027 AFCON deadlines: All you need to know
22nd March, 2026 10:09 AM
The Kenyan government has expressed confidence in meeting key Confederation of African Football (CAF) deadlines regarding hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2027, alongside Uganda and Tanzania, under the Pamoja banner.
Reacting to the development on Saturday, March 21, 2026, the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Sports, Elijah Mwangi, said there was adequate time provided by CAF to Kenya to comply with key requirements, chief among them the payment of Ksh3.9 billion as the requisite hosting fee.
This comes even as Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to regional football collaboration following high-level talks between the PS Mwangi and Paulos Weldehaimanot Andemariam, the President of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).
While giving a brief on the status of Kenya’s preparedness for AFCON, the PS stated that the discussions between the department and the Parliamentary Committee on Sports and Culture resolved to write and request the National Treasury to allocate the money that will cater for AFCON hosting fee as a matter of priority.
Beating AFCON deadlines
“We have until the 30th March to pay the Ksh3.9 billion AFCON hosting fee, and I am glad that during our appearance before the Parliamentary Committee on Sports, we agreed to write and request the treasury for that money in the supplementary,” he said.
The PS noted that as part of the Pamoja nations, Kenya placed a bid for hosting AFCON alongside Uganda and Tanzania. The latter two have already paid, but Kenya has until Monday, March 30, 2026, to pay the required monies.
He clarified that the issue was not a lack of money on the part of the government, but the money not being in the current budget.
“We don’t feel it is a big problem because the government has money. The issue is that the money is not in our current budget. This being a supplementary period, we felt the money should be put in the supplementary budget,” he explained.
He expressed confidence that when the supplementary budget was being approved, the money for AFCON would be in the budget.
Growing anxiety
The PS moved to address the anxiety of Kenyans over AFCON 2027, stating that all CAF deadlines, including payment of the requisite hosting fee as well as other obligations, will be met fully.
“There is no need for worrying. There is adequate time to get the money and pay before March 30th. Kenyans should not be worried,” he said.
Meanwhile, with Kenya seemingly lagging as far as AFCON 2027 clearance is concerned, it remains a matter squarely laid on the table of the government.
