Government, FKF ensured hosting 2018 Chan remained a pipe dream

"We have the hotels, the road network, security, what we do not have are the stadiums.” Those are the words from Sports Principal Secretary Ambassador Kirimi Kaberia.

One is left to wonder if Kenyan football is played in hotels rooms, on the roads or in police cells.

To be very honest, hosting 2018 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) was always a pipe dream with the Ministry of Sports as currently constituted. And Kirimi added salt to injury when he said in full glare of cameras that Kenya can actually host the Fifa World Cup by June.

In just one year, Kenya could have hosted two top international events, sadly because of the grave incompetence of the minister in charge of the ministry of sports, we lost one - Chan.

The late Minister for Internal Security Joseph Nkaissery is smiling deep in his grave, because of him, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and of course Nation Sport Managing Editor Elias Makori, the 2017 World Youth Athletics Championships was staged in Nairobi.

A LOT NEEDED TO BE DONE

From 2014 when Kenya was awarded the rights to host the Africa Nations championships, it was clear so much needed to be done to make this a reality.

Sam Nyamweya, despite being the disgraced president of the Football Kenya Federation, made it a personal agenda to ensure that Kenya won the rights to host 2018 Chan.

When Kenya was eventually awarded the hosting rights, Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario was there, smiling as the flag was being handed to Kenya.

But did we have the right infrastructure to host 16 teams from across Africa? No.

Since Kenya hosted the 1987 All Africa Games, with President Daniel Arap Moi in charge, subsequent governments have done nothing to improve the sports infrastructure Moi put up. The only international class stadia are the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and Nyayo National Stadium.

EMPTY ASSURANCES

When the Jubilee government took over, one promise was to build five world-class stadiums within their first five years in government, that would have been enough to host any major tournament. We saw nothing, even a play ground for children.

The government has all along been aware the tournament was to be staged in Kenya and all along, courtesy of CS Wario, there had been assurances that everything was being put in place to ensure the country becomes the first in the east Africa to host the competition.

However, on the ground, nothing was being done. The five international class stadia that the government had promised remained just that - a promise.

Inspectors from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) came to Kenya many times and gave their conditions, the government said the conditions would be met by the set deadline. They were not. In snatching the hosting rights from Kenya on Saturday, Caf stated that the political situation in the country was not very stable, that the infrastructure was not up to the required standards and that Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had lied to them that they had made good strides in their effort to host the tournament.

Wario can and will never run away from blame. He should not even be holding office now but even the FKF cannot be spared either, this was their tournament and the government was just to facilitate by providing the funds and setting up the right infrastructure.

FKF President Nick Mwendwa was so confident that Kenya would host the tournament, he even went to the level of saying he would quit if Kenya lost the rights. Now that Kenya has lost the rights, we are waiting for him to resign, but he has since made an about-turn, saying he will not resign.

POLITICS AT PLAY

Mwendwa, playing to his masters’ gallery, saw it fit that Mombasa and Kisumu should not be considered as hosts because they are opposition zones. Forget the fact that Kisumu has a good stadium. Also some good hotels like Acacia, Sovereign, Sunset and the one run by a man of integrity I really admire called Dandennis Motel right next to Moi Stadium in Kisumu. But what to do? We sit tight and wait.

That notwithstanding, Kenya has lost a great opportunity to redeem itself in continental football circles.

Looking back, Kenya was to host the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, and the hosting rights were snatched after the government failed to offer commitment. South Africa was given the hosting rights.

Twenty years later, Caf gave Kenya another chance and the country has again failed terribly. It was our time to redeem ourselves as a country, but we have failed incredibly.

Chan may be a second-class tournament in the continent, but there are so many positives it was going to bring to this country, but the government and the federation connived to bungle it.

A tournament of such magnitude would have built Kenya as a destination in terms of sports tourism. With 16 nations playing, fans from all corners of the continent and beyond would have congregated in different towns of Kenya to watch the tournament.

Further, Kenyan security officials would have learnt much from this, especially on how to manage huge crowds of football fans.

The tournament would have created jobs for many and with that also built the economy of the country.

All that is lost but the biggest losers are the Kenyan footballers who would have used that opportunity as a platform to build their careers and possibly get a chance to attract scouts from abroad. It therefore means that one more time when the rest of Africa converge to play, Kenya will be on the sidelines.

That is all gone and the credibility of Kenya in front of Caf is also totally deflated.

It will take decades for Kenya to convince Caf again to hand Kenya another chance to host a continental championships.

We are still awaiting Caf to take further action on Kenya. Sanctions are forthcoming, one of which could be to ban Kenya from the next round of the tournament.

Talk by the government that Kenya has a chance to host the World Under-19 Championships is a Public Relations gimmick. If we cannot host the East Africa Senior Challenge Cup well (as it happened in 2013), what convinces us that we can bring the world here?

The sad bit of it is nations like Burkina Faso whose economy is way worse than ours have hosted the Africa Cup of Nations, yet Kenya cannot.

Sports offers a massive employment opportunity for our growing number of unemployed you, yet the government has failed to take it seriously, their failure to work on hosting Chan signifies that. All fingers point at Wario and Mwendwa, they must go. 

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

January 2013: Kenya bids for 2017 Afcon

March 2013: Jubilee government promises to construct five brand new stadia

February 2014: Kenya is awarded hosting rights for the less prestigious Africa Nations Championship.

Feb 6, 2015: Kenya is official given the instruments to host Chan.

April 2016: First inspection visit by Caf to Kenya

Feb 3, 2017: 2018 Chan Local Organising Committee is gazetted

June 2017: Caf officials make second visit to Kenya, indicate there is a plan B

August 17: Nyayo, Kinoru, Eldoret, Machakos and Kasarani stadia closed for renovations

September 8: Machakos Stadium struck off list of stadia earmarked to host Chan, reopened for league matches.

September 11, 2017: Third inspection visit. Inspectors leave without addressing media

September 21: Government approves a Sh4.2bn supplementary budget to renovate the four stadia

September 24, 2017: Caf Executive Committee meeting withdraws Chan hosting rights from Kenya