The President of Kenya William Ruto has handed FIFA President Gianni Infantino the deeds to land on which the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) will build its new national technical centre with support of funding from FIFA Forward.

On his first visit to Kenya since taking office in 2016, Mr Infantino met President Ruto at the State House in the capital, Nairobi, where the ceremony to mark the next major step in the joint-FIFA-FKF project took place.

“I was honoured to be welcomed by the President of Kenya William Ruto to discuss our beautiful game and also receive the deeds to the land on which the future of Kenyan football will be built,” said the FIFA President, who was accompanied by FIFA Vice President and Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer/Director Member Associations Africa Gelson Fernandes, and FIFA Legend/Lead Doha Office Houssine Kharja.

“The new technical centre in Machakos will be a hub for the national teams of today as a fit-for-purpose facility to prepare for international matches and tournaments,” the FIFA President added. “But it is also a beacon of hope and inspiration for the Kenyan footballers of tomorrow, who can aspire to find themselves there in the years to come.

“I want to thank President Ruto, who shares a great passion for football, and his government for gifting the site to FIFA and the Football Kenya Federation. I have every faith that FKF President Hussein Mohammed and his team will give this exciting project all their passion and effort. With the support of FIFA, as well as the guidance of CAF, led by President Patrice Motsepe, we will ensure Kenyan football takes a big step forward.”

The USD 4.6 million FIFA Forward-funded project, which will be presented to the FIFA Development Committee later this year, will feature one natural grass pitch and two artificial turf pitches as well as an administration building and conference facilities.

Earlier in the day, Mr Infantino had been joined by Mr Motsepe in a press conference following a meeting of the 54 CAF member association Presidents. Along with a number of CAF Executive Committee members and FKF President Hussein Mohammed, they were then given a tour of the Talanta Stadium. Currently under construction, the 60,000-capacity venue is due to be completed later this year and will be a centrepiece of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027, which Kenya will co-host with neighbours Tanzania and Uganda.

The same countries also hosted the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, a tournament reserved for players from each country’s domestic league.

To cap a busy day, Mr Infantino joined President Ruto, Mr Motsepe, Salim Mvurya, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, and all the presidents of FIFA’s 54 African Member Associations at the tournament final, which saw Morocco defeat Madagascar 3-2 to claim a record third title.

“Congratulations to Morocco, who have won the CHAN. Congratulations also to Madagascar who gave it their all on the pitch. It was a great match, a great tournament and a great final,” said Mr Infantino amidst the post-match celebrations at the Moi International Sports Centre.

“But a great, great, great congratulations to Kenya, to its President William Ruto, to CAF and my brother Patrice Motsepe, to everyone who has contributed and especially to all these incredible fans here in Nairobi, here in Kenya. It has been an incredible, unbelievable experience. These people, you the Kenyans, you love football, and you deserve all of this and much more.”