Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has arrived in Nairobi as Kenya’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations enter another important assessment phase.
Motsepe travelled to Kenya after spending Thursday in Tanzania, where he inspected Benjamin Mkapa Stadium and held discussions with government officials over preparations for the continental tournament.
The CAF president is expected to meet Kenyan President William Ruto at State House on Friday, alongside senior government and Football Kenya Federation officials. He will also inspect facilities being prepared for AFCON 2027.
His arrival puts renewed attention on Kenya’s stadium programme, with the country working to ensure its competition and training facilities meet CAF requirements.
CAF completed another technical inspection across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania earlier this month. In Kenya, officials assessed the new 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium alongside training facilities, hotels, airport infrastructure and other tournament requirements.
Kasarani, Nyayo and Talanta have also previously formed part of CAF’s inspection programme, while several facilities around Nairobi are being prepared as training grounds.
Motsepe arrives in Nairobi having again dismissed suggestions that CAF could move AFCON 2027 away from East Africa because of concerns over preparation timelines.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, Motsepe acknowledged that challenges remain but insisted CAF will continue working with the three countries to complete preparations.
He rejected suggestions that CAF should consider alternative hosts, declaring; “That will not happen.”
Motsepe also stressed that the hosts need to accelerate outstanding work with nine months remaining before the tournament.
CAF has maintained that its oversight visits are intended to identify areas requiring further attention while ensuring infrastructure and operations remain aligned with competition requirements.
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will jointly host the tournament from June 19 to July 17, 2027, becoming the first three countries to jointly stage an Africa Cup of Nations.
All three hosts are automatically qualified for the finals, although they will participate in the qualification campaign beginning later this month.
Motsepe’s Kenya visit will provide CAF with another opportunity to measure progress against the remaining deadlines, as attention increasingly shifts from promises and construction schedules towards operational readiness.
His message before arriving in Nairobi was clear; CAF remains committed to the East African hosts, but the coming months will be crucial in completing the work required to deliver PAMOJA 2027.