By Kenn Okaka
With a few weeks to the start of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), the Kenyan government and thr CHAN Local Organising Committee reflects poorly in the marketing of the African Football tournament played by local based players.
Kenya will host CHAN alongside her East African neighbours Tanzania and Uganda in August with Tanzania set to hist the opening match and final scheduled to be played at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.
However, Kenya has not marketed the tournament lagging behind co-hosts who, even though they too have not well spread out an elaborate marketing strategy, they have done better than Kenya.
More kenyans on the streets of Nairobi have no idea that Kenya is hosting CHAN in August while a vast majority do not have the slightest idea of what CHAN is at all.
This is the reason why there was never a public outcry after Kenya lost the hosting chance for group D of the tournament which was moved to Zanzibar. Pool D has the potential of pulling the largest crowds as it includes West African giants Senegal and Nigeria.
Pool D was moved from Kenya for Kenya’s failure to make ready one more training field meaning Nyayo Stadium might not be used for matches as Kenya will only host one group and the final match. Even the people who received the news that one group had been moved from Kenya never understood the impact.
Back to poor marketing, events and brands, especially in the developing countries are best marketed by use of media advertising and outdoor advertisements the most effective being mounting of billboards at strategic areas. In Kenya, there is still no single billboard along Thika Road or anywhere near Kasarani Stadium. There are no media advertisements or social media activation. How then do the organisers expect to create traction for the event.
This is one important move that would have been easily managed had the CHAN Local Organising Committee roped in the Nairobi City County government in organisation of the tournament as the host city.
CHAN is a competition of big magnitude but with nk single billboard anywhere, Kenya risks hosting matches that will have low turnouts. It could be worse if Kenya is eliminated in the early stages of the tournament.
The country hopes to capitalise on the publicity that will be created with the visiting teams arrival. This however is not enough. Kenya would have been better placed if a vibrant marketing strategy was employed.
Kenya is shrouded with constant change in leadership at the ministry of sports. With plans of hosting the tournament already in place, the sports ministry got a new cabinet secretary and a new principal secretary. A change of guard which came with it a lapse in the continuity of plans, coupled with fresh demands for cuts and kickbacks.
Kenn Okaka is a Media and Communications strategistÂ