The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and
international interest.
The 2016 edition of the African Nations Championship games (Chan) have just ended.
Indeed, Rwanda should be applauded for educating the African continent how to host a proper football tournament.
It is worth noting that the tournament was held without any notable hitch. Matches were played in various stadiums, namely Amahoro Stadium and Kigali Regional Stadium (Nyamirambo), Huye and Rubavu. The country is small and has very good road network.
The success of the tournament was hinged on the fact that the same country hosted last year’s under-17 continental competition.
Interestingly, the minister for Sports in his speech delivered on November 15, 2015 during the draws had hinted that some of the materials required to complete the venues were at the port of Mombasa headed to Kigali. The materials were imported.
Now imagine if the goods were imported by our own beloved Football Kenya Federation (FKF) for a tournament of that magnitude. Would the materials required reach on time, fully paid for and in the correct quantity as was packed from the point of shipping? Your guess is as good as mine.
The first casualties would be the uniforms and playing kits. Most would disappear — and would appear six months after the conclusion of the tournament.
Foreign teams would complain about the slow pace of clearing their uniforms and the red tape required to get documents verified.
In Rwanda, the president himself asked that visas be issued to visitors at the various entry points to the country. The Head of State also attended many matches, including the final game between Congo DRC and Mali.
Many say Kigali is shockingly clean to be in East Africa — Nairobians will be traumatized.
Those who have been to Amahoro and Nyamirambo stadiums will tell you that our own Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums cannot pass a health inspection test in Kigali.
Moi Stadium in Kisumu doubles up as the town’s garbage collection point — it’s interesting how officials there dream of hosting a continental match soon. Talk of ‘Alice in Wonderland!’
Kigali city has no riffraffs, no chokoras, beggars, layabouts, noisy hawkers and all those ‘hustlers’ who define Nairobi. I have never seen more humble makangas like the ones in Kigali.
If such a tournament was held in Nairobi, guests would be taken through crush courses on which streets to avoid and why they should walk in groups while in the CBD.
Kenya has serious infrastructural weaknesses — our stadium systems are still as basic as they were at independence. We still rip apart our tickets to stop guard against reuse and have no way of determining the number of attendants during a match. We also never know how much revenue is collected — everything is done manually.
Let’s admit it, we cannot hold a candle to Rwanda when it comes to organising international tournaments. They have demonstrated how it should, and can be done.
Remember this is one country, it is alleged, where some ‘Kenya look-alike’ football administrators’ were at one time invited to State House only to be fired — they found pre-written letters of resignation. All they were required to do was append their signatures.
Rwanda’s top leadership had a vision. Had they not shown these corrupt officials the door, they might not have had a chance to host Chan 2016.
With the successful hosting of the games, Rwanda now stands a better chance of hosting the high profile Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Meanwhile, Kenya continues to scratch its head in an attempt to figure out how to host a corruption-free regional tournament.
