When Israel was attacked by Hamas militants a little over a week ago and had hundreds of civilians mauled in a vicious episode of terror, news of the horrific event was almost immediately followed by an eruption of pro-Palestinian rallies in many parts of the Arab world, Europe, and even the US. While a section outrightly jubilated at this horrendous attack, others did so in veiled fashion under the guise of advocating for Palestine’s freedom. In Gaza, however, some of the Palestinians’ celebratory chants were cautious, cos they knew more than anybody else that what was coming next was gonna be anything but nice.
Sure enough, barely 48 hours later, the period of reckoning dawned on the Gazans as the Israel military embarked on a major pounding spree in retaliation: raining a barrage of missiles upon the strip. Going by the rate at which the Israel Air Force is flattening buildings, if a ceasefire isn’t reached in the next couple of weeks, it’s a safe bet that the Gaza strip will soon earn a one-way ticket to the stone age! With the termination of food, water and electricity supply, it might be accurate to say they’re close to halfway there.
Two weeks back, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe, declared the joint bid of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, dubbed Pamoja, as winners to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). For the benefit of the Ugandan demographic which often comes at the East Africa Community’s (EAC) tail end in many aspects; including proficiency in the Swahili language, pamoja simply means together! As such, the wonderful tidings were received with celebrations across the EAC. Understandably so, for numerous reasons.
Foremost, not only is this the most prestigious soccer tournament on the continent’s sporting calendar; but this is the first time AFCON would be knocking at the region’s door since back in 1996 when, standing on the premise of unreadiness, President Moi sneezed at and ruined Kenya’s rights to host the 20th edition of the event. Subsequently, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to organize the tourney was handed to the South Africans who went on to become champions! The other reason to celebrate is that the region would be cast in the spotlight. With Tourism being one of EAC’s cash cows, AFCON presents a grand opportunity for that sector to rake in tons of cash. Above all, though, and perhaps the most exciting part is that we get to skip the drama and trauma of performing complex mathematical calculations during the qualifying stages.
For decades, nothing has been quite as gut-wrenching and draining as fervently rallying behind your national team, only to suffer a massive heartbreak as their best result is nothing beyond approaching the brink of qualification! For a bit of perspective, the last time Kenya’s Harambee Stars appeared in the AFCON after so many years was in 2019. Except their stars didn’t shine bright enough for them to see beyond the group stages. Same for Tanzania–2019! On the other hand, Uganda’s national soccer team, The Cranes, don’t even know what the rest of you are talking about. Their last flight to those heights was way back in 1978! Regardless, we’ve stood by them through thick and thin, and everything in-between. I must admit, though, it crossed my mind severally that the West Africans may have been bewitching us, cos you know they really excel at the footballing craft—and witchcraft!
Thankfully, as hosts, the burdensome yoke of qualifying for AFCON is effectively out of the way. However, that’s the easy part! Now comes the time of reckoning and perhaps the reason the celebration of Dr. Motsepe’s announcement was short lived. I suppose reality quickly set in that none of the three EAC countries is anywhere near ready to host a tournament of this magnitude. With 2027 less than four years away, we’re on the clock, yet the mountain ahead of us is so high: it has a snow cap! The lack of requisite infrastructure as basic as stadiums that meet the cut has never been more apparent. At this juncture, the best stadiums we have are probably only good enough to host non-sporting activities.
Kenya’s Nyayo National Stadium and Moi International Sports Centre, (60,000 capacity each) have probably hosted more political rallies in their lifetime than sporting events, and are just as ill-equipped as Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. But if you thought that was bad enough, Uganda’s 42,000-capacity Mandela National Stadium has been out of use since 2022—and is essentially as deceased as the person it was named after. Renovations have been on-going with no end in sight. The only thing in sight so far is a hefty US$26m invoice, yet this offers no guarantee that it will pass CAF’s accreditation process. If for anything, for this reason—the venue!
A venue is basically the city in which the stadium that hosts a match is situated. To have a definitive understanding of the term congestion, all you need to do is visit Uganda’s capital. Everything seems to have a multiplier effect to it: the people, the traffic jam; the polluted air et al. Moreover, on a normal day when the rain is not even trying that hard to fall, the city floods terribly, and gets you wondering why Noah didn’t live in our time. Imagine what happens when the heavens actually open and it really pours! Now you understand why nobody in East Africa needs the services of that ark more than the people of Kampala. If we don’t get our act right real soon, Kigali might position itself more suitably than us to co-host the games!
During his tenure as President, Uhuru Kenyatta’s promise to construct five national stadiums yielded nothing more than half-bakes and some scandalous disappearances of taxpayer money. The Auditor General discovered that of the US$16m that the Kenya Treasury had dispatched for the commencement of the works, US$7m grew legs and fled! On many levels, AFCON 2027 certainly feels like a series of massive corruption scandals waiting to happen. Whereas Kenya’s Sports Secretary, Ababu Namwamba, promises to put on “a show Africa has never seen”, his words are hardly convincing especially in a country where large sums of public money can disappear like a fart in a windstorm. For all we know, he may have been talking about putting on a show of disgrace! Don’t even get me started on Uganda!
In addition to clear deficiencies in the sporting facilities, there are also security, conveyance, hospitality and accommodation service concerns to address. The summation of all these makes for a great example of how not to host AFCON. Now what? Well, it’s time for the people in authority to put their money where their mouths are. At this point, there’s neither turning back nor suffering the embarrassment of throwing in the towel like Moi did in ’96. And the Tanzanians seem to be setting the pace. Not only are they the least corrupt in the region—after Rwanda, of course—but I guess it also helps to have a lady at the helm; cos while President Suluhu has already ordered the construction of two state-of-the-art stadiums, her male counterparts are waiting for God-knows-what!
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Doesn’t appear East Africa will ever be ready, much drama. Just bring it back to Jozi, the boys will be ecstatic. Don’t we all miss the ukuvuvuzela.
Yeh. Unlikely we’ll be ready! Have you been to EA, though?
Right on SA, but not a chance you’ll be snatching it again!
No, not had reason enough to visit. I would love to experience Rwanda, and maybe Zanzibar(that’s EA right?)
You should! Yeh, Rwanda joined EA recently. I don’t think Zanzibar is part of us! But there’s a ton of really nice tourist destinations here in UG. Kenya as well. Been to Naivasha in KE–the great rift valley is quite a spectacle! Also went cycling through the Hell’s Gate national park there. It was such a thrill!