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Kenya is set to face another fine related to breaches of crowd safety and security, as announced by a football governing body on Wednesday, with officials pledging to enhance security to prevent disorderly scenes outside stadiums.
This marks the first time that three East African nations—Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda—have co-hosted the ongoing African Nations Championship, but this historic event has been marred by significant delays concerning the readiness of the stadiums and now by disruptive spectators.
At past matches featuring Kenya, crowds have rushed into Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium without tickets, with social media videos highlighting the chaotic influx being widely shared and condemned.
The continent has a tragic history of football crowds losing control, exemplified by the stampede that resulted in the deaths of 140 people outside a stadium in Guinea last year.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already penalised Kenya, imposing a fine of $17,500 earlier this week, and restricting the attendance for their upcoming match against Zambia on Sunday.
CAF’s disciplinary committee indicated that there had been “multiple breaches of safety and security” at the Kasarani Stadium, and they declared Kenya guilty, along with a $50,000 fine.
In an online statement, CAF warned that Kenya must fulfil safety and security obligations—advising the implementation of additional security measures at matches—or else the country’s games could be moved “to another venue.”
Sports Minister Salim Mvurya confirmed that they assured CAF of their commitment to meet international standards. Mvurya also added that they would introduce more checkpoints on the roads leading to the stadium.
He acknowledged that many Kenyan football supporters might not gain access to the stadium and announced the creation of six “fan zones” throughout the capital.
Fan violence and stadium stampedes across Africa have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of supporters over the past decade, including an incident in 2020 where seven fans perished in a stampede in Kenya.
