Why Afcon 2027 is about creating a lasting legacy in Kenya

Afcon 2027 is Kenya's defining moment for this generation, and the clock is ticking.

On March 30, 2026, the Pamoja Afcon 2027 Local Organising Committee (LOC) was announced through a Kenya Gazette, bringing relief and excitement across the country.

Kenya also paid the $30 million (Sh3.8b) hosting fee to CAF and, after months of budget and stadium deliberations, secured its place as co-host of Afcon 2027.

But paying the fee is only the first step. Our true success will be measured by the lasting impact we create, judged by improved infrastructure, stronger institutions, and a raised global profile.

We must aim for bigger crowds, better transport, more tourists, and the capacity to attract future international events. By tracking growth in local businesses, sports talent, and public confidence, we can ensure that Afcon 2027's effects outlast the tournament itself.

The real challenge is delivering an unforgettable, smoothly managed event. Afcon involves 24 nations, hundreds of journalists, officials, broadcasters, and millions of viewers worldwide.

Kenya will be judged not only on its plans, but on the full experience from airport arrivals and stadium access to hotel standards and broadcast quality.

Ivory Coast invested nearly a billion dollars in Afcon 2023, while Morocco attracted over 600,000 tourists for Afcon 2025 and recouped its costs before the tournament ended. These are the benchmarks we must match.

CAF inspectors who visited Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda earlier this year found that Kenya urgently needs infrastructure upgrades. At Kasarani, Sports Kenya must deliver a new playing surface, improved drainage, better lighting, hospitality facilities, and crowd control systems.

The State Department for Sports Development must accelerate work at Talanta Sports City Stadium, with the majority completed by August and everything finished by December.

Nyayo Stadium may serve only as a training venue unless major repairs are undertaken promptly. These agencies, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports, bear direct accountability. Clear ownership of deadlines is not optional.

This Afcon is historic not only because Kenya is playing, but because for the first time, three East African nations are co-hosting. Pamoja means together, and football has achieved what decades of summits could not: uniting Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda as one destination and one sports region.

The visa agreements, simplified customs arrangements, and joint tax concessions for tournament goods and services are more than logistics. They represent a blueprint for lasting regional cooperation. If we deliver, we prove to ourselves and to the world that East Africa can plan, collaborate, and execute at a continental level an effect that will reach far beyond the final whistle.

The economic case is compelling. Hotels will be full, airports will bustle, and businesses in Kenya's major cities will grow. New infrastructure will generate returns long after the tournament ends.

As East Africa takes the global spotlight, every broadcast, photograph, and headline will shape how the world sees us. The Kenya Tourism Board, Kenya Airways, and our creative and hospitality industries have a rare platform. The message is simple: come for the football, stay to discover East Africa.

The newly constituted LOC is promising. Nicholas Musonye brings deep football management experience; Hussein Mohamed knows the federation well; McDonald Mariga and FKF National Executive Committee members anchor it in the football community.

Antony Lung'aho leads the secretariat, focusing on efficiency and transparency. Sports CS Salim Mvurya's candour about the challenges ahead signals genuine, grounded leadership.

The next five months present five non-negotiable priorities: visible stadium construction progress with weekly public updates; on-time contractor payments through a dedicated payment system; a realistic, funded transport and logistics plan with cross-agency oversight; finalised visa and border arrangements within four weeks; and a practice CAF inspection in July ahead of the critical August review.

I call on government and private sector leaders to convene a national Afcon 2027 leadership summit to set bold priorities, agree on clear milestones, and rally the nation behind a powerful call to action. The eyes of Africa are upon us. Let us rise, build, and deliver. Together, let us make history.

Koome Kazungu is a communications expert