Kenyan football fans have welcomed the decision by the government and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to set up six fan zones across Nairobi, saying the move has spared them the hustle of watching Harambee Stars’ matches in the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) in the stadium.

On Saturday, several fans across Nairobi turned up at the fan zones to watch Harambee Stars take on Zambia in their final Group “A” match of the tournament at MISC, Kasarani.

The fan zones were set up at Uhuru Park in Nairobi’s Central Business District, at Lucky Summer – Ngomongo near Kasarani, Dandora Stadium, Utalii – Stima Club, Jacaranda Grounds, and at Kibera DC Grounds.

Hundreds of fans who turned up at Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services Centre on Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi to follow the action on giant screens erected by Nairobi City County yesterday were treated to anxious moments during the match.

Joseph Onyango, a die-hard fan of Harambee Stars who watched the match at the fan zone located at Uhuru Park, said he enjoyed the experience and is no longer interested in watching the encounters at the stadium.

“I’m happy and will not be interested in buying tickets to watch Harambee Stars matches in Kasarani. The fans zone can suffice and I felt as if I was in the stadium,” said a jubilant Onyango, who wore Harambee Stars’ red jersey.

Another supporter who only identified himself as Wekesa said he doesn’t regret being among hundreds of fans who braved the chilly Nairobi weather to watch the match on the big screen at the Tom Mboya statue.

“It was a good game and I felt as if I was in the stadium. This was a good initiative but if I get a ticket for the next match, I will still go to the stadium,” he said.

The government and LOC set up the fan zones to mitigate crowd trouble at Kasarani during Harambee Stars matches.

Ahead of Kenya’s match against Morocco on Sunday last week, scores of fans forcefully accessed the stadium after jumping over the fence.

That security breach saw CAF capped fan attendance at Harambee Stars matches at Kasarani to 27,000. CAF also fined FKF Sh6.4 million and warned that it would relocate Harambee Stars matches to either Uganda or Tanzania should there be a repeat of a security breach.

Yesterday, security was heightened at all checkpoints leading to Kasarani, and around the stadiums.

Police were stationed roughly every 50 metres, some patrolling on horseback.