Due to repeated and serious security lapses at recent CHAN 2024 fixtures, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has limited the number of spectators allowed at Kenya’s home matches at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani to 27,000 — 60 per cent of the stadium’s capacity.

These new restrictions take immediate effect following Kenya’s failure to address crowd control and safety issues during the Harambee Stars’ match against Morocco on Sunday.

This followed multiple warnings and a fine of 2.5 million Kenyan shillings from CAF for similar lapses during the Harambee Stars’ CHAN 2024 opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 3.

In a statement seen by The Times Kenya on Monday, CAF outlined several security breaches that occurred during the tournament. These included unruly fans breaching perimeter fences and overwhelming security at exit points, as well as fans without tickets and those with government-issued paper tickets overrunning gates.

CAF also reported that crowd control failed at the Ngomongo roundabout, resulting in uncontrolled entry through multiple gates at the Moi International Sports Centre.

Other incidents cited included police using tear gas and flash grenades, reports of live ammunition being fired near spectators and staff, stones being thrown at security personnel, vehicles moving unsafely in spectator areas, inadequate police intervention, a lack of medical incident reports, insufficient communication, and poor CCTV coverage at critical entry points.

Consequently, CAF has imposed a strict limit of 27,000 tickets per match for home fans, and entry will only be permitted to those with electronic tickets. Thermal paper tickets have been banned.

“As a result, CAF is mandating the following measures for all upcoming Kenya home matches at Kasarani: Maximum stadium capacity of 60 per cent (27,000 tickets),” the statement reads.

“Entry is strictly limited to electronic ticket holders and thermal tickets are prohibited. The LOC and the government are set to launch a public media campaign to reinforce safety protocols and entry requirements.”

CAF also warned that failure to comply with these directives may lead to serious sanctions.

‘CAF expects full and immediate compliance with these directives. Failure to implement them may result in more serious sanctions, including consideration of alternative venues for future Host Team matches,” said CAF.

“We trust these measures will be applied swiftly to protect the integrity of the competition, ensure fan safety, and uphold confidence in Kenya’s commitment to the tournament,” they concluded.