It's wrong to bypass Western for AFCON 2027

AFCON cup. [CAF]

Popular activities such as football and athletics can help bring a nation together. Kenya depends on some of these cultural activities to grow her nationhood.

The unstated rule is whether football or athletics will help you bring your people together depends on the government’s honesty and good intentions. States worldwide have sometimes misused the same uniting popular culture to divide people.

The fact that no city or town in Western Kenya has been chosen to host football matches during the 2027 Afcon is proof that government honesty and good intentions are absent. We need to explain to Kenyans our mysterious reasons for settling on Nairobi and Eldoret.

The argument is that Kenya is one, and any of our towns that can host continental football in 2027 is good. Before we take it, however, let us use the same reasoning to try and transfer Eldoret’s Kipchoge Keino Stadium to Kanyamwa, Homa Bay County, the spiritual origin of Gor Mahia Football Club. Or transfer the stadium to Bungoma town.

I am sure no human ear is strong enough to withstand the deafening uproar which would erupt from our Uasin Gishu County in search of “the logic.”

Popular culture is known to open the eyes of those who sell racism, narrow nationalism and negative ethnicity.

The beauty in African-American music and sports forced many white racists in the US to tone down their mental illness and see all humanity as one.

Although DR Congo has been at war with itself since 1960, we respect the Congolese because of that country’s contribution to African music.

Western Kenya has been prolific in similar ways when it comes to music and football, and the three main communities in the region have done well to borrow from one another. Benga music in Western is today in the Gusii highlands, although it began in Luoland. Ohangla music is also in Luoland. But its true origin is Luhyialand.

This free borrowing seems to have helped Kenyan football. Our national football culture is synonymous with the three communities, but mainly with Luoland because this community played traditional hockey called “adult.” This game had many similarities to modern football.

You would, therefore, expect the choice of Kenyan towns to host the 2027 Afcon to reflect this simple reality because there is always “the logic” to most successful things.

Brazil, for instance, is the undisputed home of world football. It has won the FIFA World Cup the highest number of times (5). The same Brazil is one of the few countries that have hosted the FIFA World Cup twice.

Egypt is Africa’s football factory because it has won Afcon the most number of times (8). The same Egypt has hosted Afcon the most number of times (4).

“The logic” in both cases is that it is important to target the actual regions or people who engage in a popular activity to improve the quality of that game nationally. You inspire more young people to better those before them.

The other aspect is economic. Like Brazil and Egypt, it is only fair that a country or region known for football or athletics should gain more when the same activity presents certain economic opportunities. At least, that’s one way to understand the presence of Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.

Our government has not yet clarified how we mysteriously bypassed either Kakamega or Kisumu as a venue for the 2027 Afcon games. The decision is wrong and selfish, whatever “the logic” behind it. The sports ministry has the power and time to right it.

-The writer is a Kenyan scholar