Kenya will receive another fine over crowd safety and security breaches, a football governing body said today, with officials promising to prevent chaotic scenes outside stadiums with extra security.
It is the first time three east African countries — Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — have hosted the ongoing African Nations Championship, but the historic moment has been overshadowed by long delays over the stadiums’ readiness and now unruly spectators, reports AFP.
Crowds have stormed Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium without tickets at previous matches involving Kenya, with videos on social media showing people chaotically streaming into the facility being shared — and condemned — widely online.
The continent has a deadly history of football crowds losing control, with 140 people dying in a stampede outside a Guinean stadium last year.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has already fined Kenya — imposing a $17,500 fine on Monday — and limited the crowd size ahead of their match against Zambia on Sunday.
CAF’s disciplinary board said there had been “multiple safety and security breaches” at the Kasarani Stadium, stating that it had “found Kenya guilty and imposed a fine of $50,000”.
In a statement online, CAF warned Kenya must meet safety and security requirements — advising additional security at matches — otherwise the country’s games may be relocated “to an alternative venue”.
Sports minister Salim Mvurya said that they had assured CAF they would comply with international standards.
“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.
Mvurya said there would also be increased checkpoints on the roads approaching the stadium.
He also acknowledged many Kenyan football fans would not be able to access the stadium, announcing the establishment of six “fan zones” across the capital.
Fan violence and stadium stampedes across Africa have led to the deaths of hundreds of supporters over the last decade, including in 2020 when seven fans died in a stampede in Kenya.
