World Cup trophy arrives in Nairobi
The FIFA World Cup trophy arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday as it continues its worldwide tour ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, the only person in Kenya entitled to lay hands on the 18-carat gold trophy, will receive the trophy on behalf of Kenyans later today.
The trophy will spend two days in the capital before departing to neighboring Tanzania then to the venue where it was won by Spain in 2010, South Africa. This is the second time Kenya is playing host to the trophy after its maiden trip in 2009.
Meanwhile, thousands of Kenyans who have been anxiously waiting for the trophy will get a chance to get a close-up view of the iconic piece of football silverware at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) on Friday.
The public viewing event will start at 9am and run to late evening giving way to performances by some of Kenya’s top artistes.
Kenya is among 88 countries worldwide and 8 in Africa hosting the most coveted prize in the world of sports. The tour started at the Christ is the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janiero, Brazil in September.
The iconic diadem arrived in Africa almost a fortnight ago and has passed through Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Ghana before embarking on a journey from West to East Africa.
Sponsors of the trophy tour, Coca-Cola, have been running promotions through road shows, social media as well as on radio and television stations where they have given thousands of free tickets to football lovers to attend the once in a lifetime event.
The fans will not only stand a chance to win Coca-Cola merchandize,but will take home a souvenir photo with the trophy.