Kenya faces another hefty penalty for crowd safety and security breaches during the ongoing African Nations Championship, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed Wednesday, as officials pledged tougher measures to prevent chaos outside stadiums.
The tournament — co-hosted for the first time by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda — has been marred by delays in stadium readiness and unruly scenes involving fans. At Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium, supporters without tickets have repeatedly forced their way in, with widely shared videos showing chaotic entries at matches involving Kenya.
CAF’s disciplinary board said there were “multiple safety and security breaches” at Kasarani, imposing a $50,000 fine on top of the $17,500 sanction handed down Monday. Crowd capacity for Kenya’s matches has also been reduced, and CAF warned that future games could be moved to “an alternative venue” if safety standards are not met.
Sports Minister Salim Mvurya said Kenyan authorities had assured CAF of compliance with international requirements. “We have taken a senior security meeting this morning with the senior ranks in our police service, and we have agreed that we will put extra measures to ensure we secure Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums,” he told reporters, adding that checkpoints would be increased on approach roads.
To ease congestion, six “fan zones” will be set up across Nairobi for supporters unable to access the stadiums.
Africa has a grim history of deadly stadium incidents, including a stampede in Guinea last year that killed 140 people and the 2020 tragedy in Kenya, where seven fans lost their lives.