By BEN AHENDA
CECAFA: Kenya’s Harambee Stars take on Zanzibar this afternoon at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru in the ongoing Senior Challenge Cup match.
This will be the second Pool A match after the one pitting Ethiopia and South Sudan which will also be played at the same venue at 2pm.
Harambee Stars will be playing their third match having had a barren draw in their opening match against Ethiopia and thereafter defeated South Sudan 3-1.
This puts them at par with Ethiopia at the top of the four team table standings with four points from two matches each.
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A win for the Kenyan team will guarantee them a quarter final berth against the Zanzibaris who smashed South Sudan in their first match before losing 3-1 to Ethiopia in the second match.
Zanzibar is also fighting for a quarter final place and a victory against Harambee Stars could also guarantee them a place in the last eight.
The two matches were earlier scheduled for Machakos County Stadium but switched to Afraha Stadium because the Machakos pitch is unplayable following heavy rains that are pounding the county.
Afraha Stadium is in a perfect condition with an effective drainage system following advanced renovations that have cost Nakuru County Government close to Sh15 million.
international standards
The renovations at the facility have seen its dressing and washrooms refurbished to the required international standards with a brick-wire-mesh internal perimeter fence surrounding the football pitch.
All the seating stands have also been improved and fans have welcomed the regional championships.
Tomorrow, two more matches will be played at the same venue.
These are Pool B matches pitting Burundi against Tanzania and scheduled to kick off at 2pm and the other between Zambia and Somalia at 4pm.
Afraha Stadium Manager Didimus Munialo confirmed the gate charges are Sh500 for The Main Stand and Sh200 for the Russian and Tanganyika Stands. Nakuru County Governor Kinuthia Mbugua said: “We are not taking chances with the security of all teams in the regional championships.” ––bahenda@standardmedia.co.ke
