Sawt Falasteen - Missing Kenya football tickets blamed on govt protest fears

Kenya has seen multiple deadly protests for more than a year over economic stagnation and police brutality, leaving dozens dead or missing.

It is hoping for a more positive vibe as it co-hosts the African Nations Championship (CHAN) with Tanzania and Uganda this month.

But local fans are puzzled over the difficulty of securing tickets for Kenya's first match, against Democratic Republic of Congo, at Nairobi's 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium on Sunday.

Tickets have been sold out since Monday evening -- the result of a "more than eager" fanbase, according to Nicholas Musonye, head of the local organising committee, speaking to AFP.

Some die-hard supporters find that hard to believe.

"We haven't found any fan who managed to buy a ticket," said a Kenyan sports journalist interviewed by AFP, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals by the government due to the "political" nature of the issue.

He accuses the government of President William Ruto of buying up tickets in a bid to avoid chants like "Ruto Must Go" and "Wantam" (meaning "one term") that have become widely used since the protests began.

In March, "the last time Kenya played at home, against Gabon, there were many anti-government chants", which are still visible online, he said, adding that the government was likely handing tickets to people less likely to be critical.

- Registering supporters -

PropesaTV, an online media critical of Ruto, told its 150,000 followers on X that the government had "bought over half of the Kenya Vs Congo CHAN opening match tickets for the Sunday clash in a bid to stop or avoid the Wantam and Ruto Must Go chants".

It said tickets were being distributed to "government supporters" who will be transported to the stadium by bus from Kibera, a huge Nairobi slum that has seen fewer protests against the president than other areas.

A resident of the neighbourhood, also asking to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, told AFP he saw a "massive" group of people hired by local officials to "register" and collect personal data in exchange for tickets to Sunday's match.

Kariuki Ngunjiri, a national youth leader for the president's party, told AFP he had "not seen the accusations".

"Tickets are available online, we are encouraging a lot of people to come in large numbers on Sunday and enjoy the game," he said, though tickets could not be found then or since by AFP.

Meanwhile, tickets were still available for the tournament's first match in Tanzania, who play Burkina Faso on Saturday.

Kenyan Football Federation president Hussein Mohammed told AFP he was not responsible for ticketing, which falls under Confederation of African Football (CAF).

CAF did not respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Musonye of the organising committee told the Kenyan parliament that "the current prevailing situation in the country, concerning the Gen Z protests, has been identified as a potential risk that can affect the safe delivery of the tournament".

H.Jarrar--SF-PST