Gor Mahia and Kenya Police seek alternatives after CAF decline to approve Nyayo Stadium

Record league champions K’Ogalo, who are regulars in the CAF competitions, will carry Kenya’s flag in the lucrative Champions League by retaining the FKF Premier League title, while Police, who will be making their first appearance following their success to lift the domestic Mozzart Bet Cup, will feature in the Confederation Cup. Police earned the ticket after beating KCB on penalties in the final.

With the fixtures already out, Gor Mahia start against El Merriekh Bentiu of South Sudan and Police face Ethiopian Coffee, but their preparations were thrown into turmoil after the visiting CAF inspection team declared Nyayo Stadium, which has been under renovation for the past year, unfit to host international matches.

Gor Mahia, under new Brazilian coach Leonardo Martins Neiva (47), will begin their journey in the continental competition with an away match against the South Sudanese club on August 16th before the return leg slated for Nairobi on August 23rd.

Meanwhile, Police, under the tutelage of Salim Babu, will start their campaign at home on August 17th before they travel to Addis Ababa for the return leg on August 23rd.

Nyayo Stadium fails to pass the CAF test

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa confirmed to Flashscore that the CAF inspection team had declined to approve Nyayo Stadium because it doesn’t meet the required standards.

While the venue, situated approximately two kilometres from the City Center of Nairobi, has been undergoing renovation work, the FKF boss said a few areas still need improvement before it can be declared available to host high-quality matches.

“CAF team toured the venue and they still feel some areas need improvement,” Mwendwa told Flashscore without elaborating on the key areas under scrutiny. “There are areas they (CAF) are happy with but other key areas are still a risk to have high-quality matches, so some work needs to be done.”

He added: “We are still engaging them (CAF) since the work at Nyayo is still going on, we want them to come back after a few weeks to check and inspect again, and I hope by then all will be well, and Gor Mahia and Police will have a venue for their matches.”

Asked if Gor Mahia and Police will use the venue, Mwendwa said: “I cannot assure anything for now, you can’t have hope on anything to do with CAF until their demands (what they feel must be improved) are met, so we can only keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.”

The lack of approved stadiums is not a new thing in Kenyan football. Only in June, Kenya’s Harambee Stars were forced to play their home games on matchday three and four of the 2026 World Cup qualifying against Burundi and Ivory Coast away at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

In the first match, they drew 1-1 against the Swallows before securing a 0-0 draw against the African champions. Harambee Stars last played on home soil in September 2023, when they lost 1-0 against South Sudan in a friendly.

With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers coming up in September, Kenya is still faced with uncertainty about whether they will play their matches in Nairobi.

Kenya, who are pooled in Group J alongside African powerhouse Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, are scheduled to open their campaign at home against the Warriors of Zimbabwe on September 2nd.

Nyayo situation elicits mixed reactions

Former Tusker midfielder Harold Ndege believes the unavailability of Nyayo for the home teams will affect their performance in the continental stage.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, the decision will negatively affect the performances of Gor Mahia and Kenya Police,” Ndege told Flashscore. “The home advantage (which Harambee Stars, Gor Mahia, and Police have lost, or will continue to lose) has the following advantages: psychological effects supporting fans have on the competitors or referees.”

Ndege added: “Psychological or physiological advantages of playing near home in familiar situations (understanding the nature of the pitches e.g. distances within the fields), away teams suffer disadvantages from changing time zones or climates, or from the rigors of travel.”

Ndege’s sentiments were echoed by former Gor Mahia goalkeeper Mike Kisaghi, who termed the situation unfortunate and one that could have been avoided if the Kenyan government had put more emphasis on sports.

“It is unfortunate that at this age and era, we cannot afford to play home matches at home, it hurts because it is something that can be avoided, but again it is not in our hands right now,” Kisaghi, who won the Kenyan Premier League title with Gor Mahia in 1995, told Flashscore.

“Playing home matches away from home will not bring out the best of our teams, Gor Mahia always plays well in front of their fans, and forcing them to play away means they are already disadvantaged heading into the game and it will be the same case with Police.

“The situation already gives the away team an advantage because now they don’t come knowing they will face a hostile crowd, it gives them the morale to play like they are at home, but I hope something will be done swiftly to have the matches played in Nairobi.”

As it stands, East Africa has only six venues cleared by CAF to host international matches. They include Uganda’s Namboole Stadium and St. Mary’s Kitende, Rwanda’s Amahoro Stadium and Pele National Stadium, and Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa and Azam Complex.

Gor Mahia remains winless in CECAFA Kagame Cup

Despite the venue hiccups, Gor Mahia continued their preparations for the new season with a 1-1 draw against ASAS Djibouti Telecom in a Group B fixture of the 2024 edition of the CECAFA Kagame Cup at Azam Complex Stadium, on Saturday, June 13th.

Having lost the opener 1-0 against guest team and Zambian champions Red Arrows, K’Ogalo went into the fixture seeking to get a win and stay on course to qualify for the semi-finals, but they could only manage a point against the resilient Djiboutian side.

Gor Mahia took the lead in the 40th minute through Levin Odhiambo. However, ASAS levelled matters a minute later when Warsama Houssein Said struck home from close range. The outcome means K’Ogalo are yet to win a game under coach Martins Neiva, who took charge after replacing the departed Jonathan McKinstry.

“It was a game we deserved to win, we dominated especially in the first half but never took our chances,” Martins Neiva told reporters after the game. “Again, even after taking the lead, we failed to defend well and gave away a goal; we must work on these mistakes because our focus is to be ready for the new season and Champions League campaign.”

Gor Mahia will now face a tall order of winning a fourth CECAFA Kagame Cup title as they come up against Al Hilal in their final group fixture on Tuesday, July 16th.

After CECAFA, Gor Mahia will head to Nigeria for the inaugural Coal City International Cup in Nigeria. A total of eight teams will take part in the tournament with Brazilian giants Esporte Clube Vitoria among those invited.

Other teams include Sierra Leone’s FC Kallon, and Cotton FC from the Republic of Benin, while Nigeria, the host of the event, will be represented by the quartet of Enugu Rangers, Aba Elephants’ Enyimba, Kano Pillars, and Ogun State-based Remo Stars.