Written By | Alex Mbamanya
CAF official being led through Nambole Stadium
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee has continued its inspection of hosting facilities in East Africa, with officials now assessing Uganda’s venues. CAF officials Dr Christian Emeruwa, Head of Safety and Security, and Ms Stephanie Totokra, in charge of Infrastructure, inspected Mandela National Stadium, as well as training facilities at FUFA Kadiba Stadium, Kyambogo University, and Makerere University.
The exercise, which began in Tanzania last week with CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe leading the delegation, is part of ongoing preparations for the Pamoja AFCON 2027 tournament.
The officials have today travelled to Hoima to inspect the newly constructed Hoima City Stadium.
The CAF Executive Committee’s inspection comes amid speculation that the association was considering either withdrawing the hosting rights from the three East African states or postponing the tournament to 2028 due to the lack of ready facilities in the region.
However, CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe dismissed the rumours as unfounded and reaffirmed that the event will be hosted in East Africa despite existing challenges.
Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania successfully applied and won the bid to host the continental showpiece, in what has since been referred to as the East Africa Pamoja AFCON bid.
CAF officials during the inspection of Nambole Stadium
Last year, CAF staged the CHAN tournament in the three countries as part of prior arrangements to test their readiness and capacity to host an event of AFCON’s magnitude.
Significant construction works have since been completed in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, including the 20,000-seater Hoima City Stadium in Uganda, the 60,000-seater Talanta Sports Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, and the 60,000-seater Samia Suluhu Hassan Stadium in Arusha, Tanzania.
These facilities add to the already existing Mandela National Stadium, Namboole in Uganda; Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Nyayo Stadium, Kasarani in Nairobi, Kenya.
The East African nations face the challenge of staging a successful championship following Morocco’s highly acclaimed tournament in January, which was characterised by world-class facilities across all categories.
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