How Kenya is going big for CHAN fiesta
By Samson Ateka, July 18, 2025Football fans across Africa, except Somalia and Libya, will be able to enter Kenya visa-free for the 2025 African Nations Championship (Chan), as the government rolls out a historic free-entry policy and prepares to introduce VAR technology in local football for the very first time.
What this means is that citizens from the continent will no longer require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) and are not required to pay any visa fees.
Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi confirmed that the government had already issued a Gazette Notice allowing free visas to the country.
“Every time you want to travel within the EAC and you do not have a passport, you can apply for a Temporary Visa on eCitizen, which is instant. But those with passports can just proceed and use them. The EAC countries have an arrangement where visitors can use temporary passports. This will enable fans to move freely during the event,” said Mwangi.
Mwangi was speaking at a Nairobi hotel during the Local Organising Committee (LOC) stakeholders’ meeting for media and the private sector. He added that the move will allow fans at entry ports to access the country hassle-free.
Usage of VAR
During the meeting, LOC Chairman Nicholas Musonye noted that hosting the Chan is a major boost for the country as it will also be the first time that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used in Kenya.
“The VAR technology will be maintained for posterity. The machines are expected to arrive in the country any time soon,” said Musonye.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya remarked, “Hosting Afcon 2027 is something that we have been pursuing for a long time after losing the opportunity to South Africa in 1996. Now we are glad that the dream has finally become a reality. The Chan in August kickstarts the journey to Afcon 2027 with improved infrastructure and government commitment. A lot is going to happen between now and Chan in terms of preparation. The two events (Chan and Afcon) have required heavy investment to meet CAF requirements. For Chan, we have invested heavily in Kasarani and Nyayo National Stadium as well as the training grounds.”
The CS also revealed that the Nyayo Stadium canopy will be put in place immediately after the conclusion of Chan.
“We have suspended laying down the tartan track at Nyayo to enable the Chan LOC to continue its preparations uninterrupted.”
Pamoja Bid
Mvurya added that the Pamoja Bid, a successful joint bid that saw Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania awarded rights to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) football tournament, will go a long way in boosting the country’s tourism.
“Kenya, among the three countries, through the Pamoja Bid, will serve as the headquarters for CAF during this tournament here in Nairobi. That means we have a delegation that can explore our country in terms of tourism. We already have hotels approved to host the delegates, the teams, and any other persons required to travel for the tournament. As a government, we have already waived the ETA requirement and therefore no visa is required. So, you can move from Nairobi to Kampala to Dar. Having spent time upgrading the infrastructure, we have now turned to the finer details of preparations.”