- Sports CS Salim Mvurya has debunked claims that Kenya is not ready to host the 2025 CHAN tournament.
- Mvurya has described the reports that circulated on social media on Monday morning as misleading.
- CS Mvurya has assured Kenya that they should not panic since the preparation for the tournament that will be held in August is going on well.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya has rubbished claims that the country is not ready to stage the 2025 CHAN tournament.
There were reports circulating on social media on Monday morning May 26 that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was unhappy with Kenya’s level of preparedness ahead of the tournament that is expected to be held between Saturday, August 2 and Saturday, August 30.
According to the claims, CAF officials who inspected the facilities such as the Nyayo national stadium and the Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani were not convinced with the standards of the playing surface.
Salim Mvurya assures Kenyans ahead of 2025 CHAN tournament
However, a few hours after those reports spread on the internet, CS Mvurya has come out to assure Kenyans that the country is ready to stage the continental showpiece.
“I have seen in some of the social media pages, people saying that Kenya is not ready to host CHAN. I want to say that we had a meeting with the team from CAF on Friday, because it is normal for CAF to do inspections until the final day in July.
And in the discussions and the reports, Kenya is ready to host CHAN. Therefore, any reports on social media or otherwise should be ignored,” he explained.
Mvurya further disclosed that the government has already settled the hosting fee for the tournament that it will host alongside East African neighbors Uganda and Tanzania.
“We have invested a lot of money in our infrastructure in Kasarani, Nyayo. We have already paid a Ksh 1.6 billion hosting fee.
And therefore all the other processes are normal to ensure that we are in tandem with the progress of making sure Kenya hosts CHAN. So, I want to tell all Kenyans there is no cause for alarm. There is no doubt, Kenya is ready for CHAN,” commented the 55-year-old.
Salim Mvurya to shift focus on Harambee Stars ahead of CHAN 2025
The former Kwale County Governor ended by stating that his attention will now shift to the preparation of the national team Harambee Stars for the tournament.
As stated by Mvurya, he wants to make sure Harambee Stars lift the CHAN 2025 trophy on home soil.
ALSO READ: Sport CS Salim Mvurya assumes office, confident Kenya will host CHAN 2024