President William Ruto has promised the men’s national football team, Harambee Stars, Ksh600 million if they win the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Ruto dangled the lucrative cash reward during a visit to the Harambee Stars’ at the Pullman Hotel in Nairobi on Saturday, August 2, ahead of the commencement of the 30-day tournament today.
In addition to the Ksh600 million, Ruto also promised the team Ksh1 million per player for every win and Ksh500,000 per player for every draw during the tournament.
The President further pledged Ksh60 million if the team reaches the quarterfinals and Ksh70 million upon reaching the semifinals.
“Guys, it cannot get better than this. We have tripled the rewards so that everyone does their best,” he said.
Also, President Ruto called on Kenyans to rally behind Harambee Stars. He urged every Kenyan to make Harambee Stars their 'political party', with the slogan Stars Must Win.
“Let us set aside all other political parties, our party this month is Harambee Stars,” he said.
Kenya is one of the co-hosts of the tournament, alongside Tanzania and Uganda, and will kick off their campaign with a match against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday, August 3.
The match will begin at 3pm at the 60,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani. Tickets for the game have already sold out, with the tournament’s organisers noting that no tickets will be sold at the gate.
CHAN Prize Money
Ruto’s millions are set to be in addition to the hefty Ksh1.3 billion (USD10.4 million) prize money set aside by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The money was a 32 per cent increase from the Ks1.02 billion (USD7.9 million) awarded at the last edition of the competition, held in Algeria in 2023.
As far as the breakdown of the prize money, the winning team will be awarded Ksh452.2 million (USD3.5 million). Meanwhile, runners-up will receive Ksh155 million (USD1.2 million), while third- and fourth-place finishers will be awarded Ksh90.4 million (USD700,000) and Ksh77.5 million (USD600,000) respectively.
Besides the participation prize money, Kenya stands for heftier payouts depending on their overall performance at the CHAN 2024. Harambee Stars find themselves in a fairly competitive group, comprising 2018 and 2020 champions Morocco, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as Zambia.
According to CAF's breakdown of the prize money, the bottom-placed teams in the five-team groups (‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’) will each receive Ksh25.8 million (USD200,000). This will also apply to the fourth-placed teams in these groups. The bottom-placed team in the four-team Group D will also receive a similar amount.
If Kenya manages a third-place finish, it will pocket Ksh38.7 million (USD300,000). A quarter-final spot earns Kenya Ksh58.1 million (USD450,000).
However, to reach the knockout, Harambee Stars are required to finish in the top two of their group, as only the top two teams from each pool will advance to the last eight.
