Kenyan match officials trained ahead of AFCON in Morocco

Kenya’s top match officials were among the elite referees who underwent a CAF-organised preparation course ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The training camp, held in Cairo, Egypt, brought together selected referees, assistant referees, VAR specialists and technical instructors, an exclusive group tasked with officiating Africa’s biggest football event.

Peter Kamaku Waweru, Dickens Mimisa, Stephen Yiembe and Gilbert Cheruiyot formed the Kenyan delegation at the high-level programme.

Their participation in the camp has now been followed by official appointments to AFCON 2025, ensuring Kenya will have a strong presence at the tournament, despite the national team not qualifying.

The Cairo course, organised by the CAF Referees Committee, was designed to ensure match officials are fully prepared for the demands of the competition.

The programme featured rigorous physical assessments, in-depth video analysis and match-simulation workshops aimed at sharpening decision-making, strengthening communication and ensuring uniform interpretation of the Laws of the Game. Officials also received updated training on VAR use, aligned with the latest CAF and FIFA standards.

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CAF described the initiative as part of its commitment to delivering excellence, transparency and credibility in refereeing, key pillars for a successful AFCON, set for 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

The quartet of Kenyan referees selected for the finals are all FIFA-listed.

Dr Kamaku is the only centre referee from Kenya on the roster.

Mimisa joins the VAR team, while Yiembe and Cheruiyot will serve as assistant referees.

East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, both qualified for the tournament, did not have any officials appointed.

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In total, 73 officials, including 28 referees, 31 assistant referees and 14 VAR specialists, will handle the matches.

They are expected to report to Morocco on Monday, 15 December, for a final phase of physical, technical and theoretical preparation.

AFCON 2025 will kick off on Sunday, 21 December, with hosts Morocco facing Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will also stage the final on Sunday, 18 January.

Anticipation in Morocco is already high. Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa revealed last week that 800,000 tickets have been sold, with every match involving the hosts fully sold out.

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