Why There Were Many Empty Seats At Kasarani Stadium During Kenya vs DR Congo

African Nations Championship (CHAN) Local Organizing Committee Chairperson Nicholas Musonye has explained why there were many empty seats at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi as Kenya faced off against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in their Group A clash.

This is after concerns emerged of largely unoccupied sections of the stadium for the highly-anticipated opener, despite it being a sold out affair in terms of tickets.

Musonye, who spoke during an interview with NTV's Fixing The Nation, pointed out that Kasarani Stadium’s seating capacity had been cut down from 60,000 to 48,000 and that for safety reasons, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) didn’t release tickets for every one of the 48,000 available seats.

CHAN / AFCON LOC Chairperson Nicholas Musonye. /FKF MEDIA

“Kasarani is no longer the 60,000-seater it used to be because the new configuration has been done; it has come to about 48,000. So, even when you are selling tickets, you must be very consistent. Not to sell to the limit of 60,000 that it used to be.

“The stadium was occupied at about 85 to 90 percent full because we also need to think of the security of our people. If the stadium is holding 48,000 people, we can’t sell all 48,000 tickets; we must give an allowance for breathing space. As of Saturday evening, CAF had sold about 46,000 tickets,” the CHAN LOC chair explained.

Musonye also shot down claims of ticket hoarding for the Harambee Stars versus DRC game, clarifying that the tickets were made available to the public and sold directly by CAF.

“The issue of hoarding tickets was not there. The Harambee Stars vs DRC tickets were open to the market, and they were sold by CAF, not us. This is a CAF competition, so those who went first got their tickets,” he stated.

This follows social media allegations that some politicians were involved in hoarding tickets for the Harambee Stars vs DRC clash. One of them, Korogocho Member of County Assembly (MCA) Absalom Odhiambo, took to social media to showcase physical tickets he had obtained with the intent of distributing them in bulk, sparking concerns of ticket hoarding.

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka voiced concern over the claims in a Sunday statement, saying that bulk ticket purchases had locked out genuine fans from attending the Kenya-DRC match.

“Football is a universal language that brings people together, regardless of their backgrounds, beliefs, or political affiliation. Thus, this regime's wholesale ticket buying, which denies genuine football fans the opportunity to see their Harambee Stars,” Kalonzo stated.

The CHAN tournament, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, has drawn huge crowds—especially in Kenya. In response, organizers are pushing for stronger crowd control and urging fans to cooperate by arriving early to ease congestion at entry points and maintain safety and order.

Musonye emphasized the need for fans to play their part by following ticketing rules and showing up early for matches. “Yesterday, fans came in late, especially on the side of the Mwiki and Korokocho area. We were so worried that the lateness would pile people around the entry points,” he added.

In their latest fixture, Harambee Stars clinched a 1-0 victory over DRC, with Austin Odhiambo netting the winner just before halftime.

Kenya’s upcoming fixtures are against Angola on Thursday, August 7, 2025, Morocco on Sunday, August 10, 2025, and Zambia on Sunday, August 17, 2025.