At the sold-out CHAN 2024 clash between Kenya’s Harambee Stars and DR Congo, one thing was oddly clear –thousands of empty seats.
Fans were told there were no more tickets. Online sales on chan.mookh.com had long marked the game as fully booked. But on Saturday night, the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani told a different story. Entire rows remained unoccupied, even as passionate supporters were locked out.
Now, many are asking the same question: If it was sold out, why weren’t the fans inside?
“I kept refreshing the website all morning. It said tickets were unavailable,” said Fredrick Otieno, a loyal Harambee Stars fan who had travelled from Kisumu. “Then I see empty chairs on TV. Who’s fooling who?”
Tickets were priced modestly – Sh200 for regular and Sh500 for VIP -but for many, getting a valid pass became nearly impossible. Some fans ended up paying triple the price on the black market.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC), which oversees Kenya’s side of the tournament, insists everything was above board.
“The stadium wasn’t completely full for safety reasons,” said LOC chairman Nicholas Musonye. “We follow CAF protocols. Ticketing is handled through a controlled process. It’s not in our hands.”
Musonye also denied widespread rumours of ticket hoarding or political interference.
“There’s no hoarding. We sold 46,000 tickets by Saturday evening,” he told Citizen Digital. “We didn’t block anyone. We’re just following the rules.”
But many fans aren’t convinced. On social media, videos of government-affiliated politicians flaunting tickets raised eyebrows. Some believe authorities may have quietly limited general access to avoid public unrest, including anti-government chants during the match.
“It’s not the first time Kenyans feel shut out of their own events,” said sports analyst James Gikonyo. “What’s new here is that now, we can see it with our own eyes.”
Among those most affected were visiting Congolese fans. Many who had travelled to support their national team were reportedly stranded outside the stadium gates, despite being told online that tickets were already sold out.
“It was very disappointing. We had our hopes up,” said Pascal Banza, who flew in from Kinshasa. “We love football. We came for football.”
Kenya went on to win the match 1-0, a boost for the home team but a bittersweet moment for fans who could only watch from afar – or not at all.
Now, ahead of two crucial games – Kenya vs Angola on Thursday, and a much-anticipated Morocco clash on Sunday – supporters are demanding a transparent ticketing process.
“This can’t happen again,” said Otieno. “It’s our country. It’s our team. We deserve to cheer them on from inside the stadium.”
So far, CAF has not issued an official statement on the matter. But with tensions growing and another weekend fixture looming, all eyes will be on Kasarani once again – not just for the football, but for the fairness.
As one fan simply put it online: “If 46,000 tickets were sold, then where are the 46,000 fans?”
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