CAF Raises Stadium Capacity to 80% for Kenya vs Madagascar Match
- Christabel Adhiambo
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has cleared 80 per cent attendance for Friday’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarterfinal between Kenya and Madagascar at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
The move follows a successful appeal lodged by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), who sought a review of earlier restrictions imposed due to security lapses.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya welcomed the decision, saying it was a timely boost for the Harambee Stars as they prepare for a crucial knockout match.
“I have welcomed CAF’s decision to revise stadium attendance to 80 per cent, translating to 36,000 tickets. This means more fans will be able to rally behind our national team in the ongoing CHAN 2024 tournament,” Mvurya said.
CAF had previously capped attendance at 60 per cent, about 27,000 fans, for Kenya’s final group-stage match against Zambia last Sunday.
The reduction followed crowd control breaches, poor gate management and safety concerns observed in earlier fixtures.
As a result, thousands of supporters were locked out and instead gathered at official fan zones across Nairobi, including Uhuru Park, the CBD, Kibera, Dandora, and Githurai.
Mvurya assured that the LOC had acted on CAF’s concerns by putting in place stronger security and entry protocols.
“We have implemented corrective measures on gate operations, security, and crowd management to ensure that the mistakes of the past matches are not repeated. Our priority is to guarantee both safety and access for fans,” he noted.
To ease congestion at Kasarani and expand reach, the Ministry of Sports has also increased the number of official fan zones in Nairobi from 10 to 13.
The new venues include Ruiru, Camp Toyoyo in Dagoretti and Babadogo, which join earlier sites such as Jacaranda, Clay City, Kibra DC Grounds and Lucky Summer.
Mvurya urged Kenyans to remain united as they support the Harambee Stars’ campaign.
“I encourage Kenyans to continue on this positive trajectory of unity and purpose, without invoking negative politics, as we stand together behind our team,” he said.
The Harambee Stars will face Madagascar at Kasarani on Friday, with the promise of a bigger home crowd and growing momentum from supporters across the country.
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