The time for Harambee Stars to make Kenyans happy is now

This is where it’s all about to start.

Kenyans no doubt promise to be faultless co-hosts of the three-week football fiesta.

Most of them will be glad this tournament has come to their rescue. Hotels, bars, food vendors, matatus, boda boda riders… the list is endless…

They are glad this biennial tournament has come. It’s telling that they are full of pride.

You can see it in their eyes every time you mention African Nations Championships, aka Chan.

Joy. Optimism. Pride. Patriotism. All the superlatives are there to summarise how it feels. Unmistakably happy.

It’s no brainer that Kenyans will enchant most visitors with their unsurpassed natural warmth. Their bigheartedness will always be present when required.

Indeed, Kenya, one of the three co-hosts of Chan 2024, will be eager to make an admirable impression. The public goodwill may not be at the expected levels, but the organisers need to host a successful tournament regardless.

For the next 28 days, Kenyan towns, especially host city Nairobi, market, hotels, bars and stadia will be like a small United Nations. Miniature flags of the 19 teams will be a common sight.

Fans donning jerseys of their favourite players or preferred countries, especially those of Kenya, DR Congo, Angola, Morocco and Zambia, will be a normal trend.

Few of those jerseys will be originals, that’s obvious, while thousands will be fake replicas. It will not matter anyway. All they yearn for is time well spent and create more time thereafter for those bar talks and endless tales.

Ahead of the 44 matches, a hypnotic opening ceremony yesterday inside the magnificent Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam treated Africa to energy-sapping performances.

Plenty of fireworks illuminated the skies of Tanzania’s coastal city, a sign of more action to come. Even the heavens were equally enchanted. A blessed lot this.

They can’t wait for real action to begin. The Chan 2024 matches will be held across three countries—Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda—from August 2 to August 30.

Even as Kenya gets ready to co-host Chan 2024, the razzmatazz that always accompanies such tournaments will be missing in action this time round.

There are many football stadia in the world that are famous for their passion, craving, and blare.

It doesn’t matter where. Be it Liverpool’s home ground Anfield on a European night or Italy’s San Siro for Inter and AC Milan matches. The expectant fans will always be there to play a huge part in the result of a match and drive the home team forward.

That’s the normative behavior when it comes to football stadia and the ever-mad fans. They are like men and women possessed.

This is something every football fan knows deep in their bones. Engraved in their genes and delivered in the magic of stadium atmosphere.

You know, football isn’t all about cheering as 22 grownups, men and women, boys and girls, chase after a ball for at least 90 minutes. It's much more than that. It’s about being part of something greater, something absorbing, something awe-inspiring.

The cacophony of roars from the stands, the harmonised recites from ardent supporters, the utter oomph throbbing in the whole stadium, the oooohs and aaaaahs, and much more are what make football stand out from other sports. Football is a game that was no doubt ordained by the gods.

The liveliness that reverberates in these places has become more critical than ever before. The almost palpable passion of fans that can't be simulated anywhere else. Never.

The fans love it, and so do the players. With every goal, the flare-up of cheers bolsters the indestructible bond that exists between the human beings on the stands and those doing business on the field.

A dance here, a kiss there, high-fives, small talks, and endless debate can turn a match on its head in a minute.

But that’s a common sight in most tournaments; not Chan 2024.

This time round, there’ll be no room for those deafening vuvuzela blares inside the stadia, Kasarani included… There will be no whistles, no drums, no megaphones, no loudspeakers, no fireworks, no flares…

Offensive or political materials, Must Go chants, One Term or Two Term cries, banners, flags, or signs bearing political, religious, or discriminatory language will be a thing of the past too. Food and drinks from outside will not be acceptable. No pets too… And the list goes on and on…

It doesn’t end there… Motorists around Nairobi will also be affected after The Nairobi Traffic Department issued a traffic advisory on closure of some key roads to ease access to the stadium by fans and teams.

The affected roads include Aerodrome Road—from Madaraka Roundabout to Bunyala Roundabout, Lang’ata Road—from Madaraka Roundabout to Lusaka Roundabout (one side), and Mombasa Road—from Lusaka Roundabout to Bunyala Roundabout (one side).

Vehicles from Mombasa Road heading to the CBD will be expected to use Likoni Road–Enterprise Road through General Motors or the Southern Bypass at Ole Sereni.

Vehicles from Lang’ata Road will use Raila Odinga Road or Muhoho Road at the Mbagathi Roundabout.

Traffic from Nairobi CBD to Thika will use Limuru Road or Kiambu Road.

Fans attending matches at Kasarani Stadium will be expected to use Ruaraka Baba Dogo Road and Ngomongo Road to access the Ngomongo Roundabout, while those from Thika Road will use the Eastern Bypass, Kiambu Road, or Limuru Road.

But that’s off the pitch. On the pitch, it’s all set.

If Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy’s conduct in front of the cameras was a sign of the state of his team, then Harambee Stars can dare dream of historic victory when they play DR Congo in their opening Group A match today at 3pm.

He cut a cool and calm demeanour as he fielded questions just metres from the renovated Kasarani Stadium, venue for today’s vital fixture.

McCarthy sought to deflect from the dullness of the fact that several key players will be missing in action. He did this with a nod.

Flanked by his captain Abud Omar, McCarthy occasionally smiled before sitting up and eloquently answering the endless questions inside the press conference room.

He would occasionally swing from side to side, leaning back just to reflect and choose his words right. At times, he’d gaze up at the ceiling as if to thank his football gods for such a desirable moment.

The South African tactician wanted to have everything right. His rejoinders were premeditated and well-planned.

He knew when to pause and for how long. Not too long to the dislike of the battery of journalists and not too fast lest he missed a point. He knew when to talk and how. He would intersperse his ripostes with half-smiles. He wanted it to look normal to him and to every soul inside the room.

He smiled at times, while on others, he just contemplated his next answer. He seemed more relaxed, this man, thinking of how to bring down DR Congo, one of the tournament’s favourites.

Not an easy task by all standards. It's a predicament that exists ostensibly only in theory, but how do you stop the menacing DR Congo forwards?

If it is possible to silence the two-time champions and switch off their ever-purring engines, then Harambee Stars will be glad to do just that.

If there was a moment the Kenyans would have wished for a superlative show, then this is it.

The time to be happy is now, and the place to be happy is here…

Let Harambee Stars pull a rabbit from the hat. They should. Do they have an option? No. Winning is the only option.