Three Kenyan referees are set to receive significant financial rewards for their roles in the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Peter Waweru Kamaku, Gilbert Cheruiyot, and Stephen Yiembe, the Kenyan officials, will be officiating at the tournament, which has been rescheduled to take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024. The event will be staffed by 26 center referees, 30 assistant referees, and 12 VAR officials.
In addition to a lump sum based on their performance, referees at AFCON will earn $1,200 (about Ksh188,398) for each match they officiate. This increase in pay per match, from the previous $750 (approximately Ksh117,749), was implemented by former Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad Ahmad in 2017. There’s no current indication of any change in these rates for the 2023 tournament.
Waweru, a distinguished center referee with a PhD in Pure Mathematics and a senior lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, will be participating in his third consecutive AFCON tournament. He made his debut at the 2019 edition in Egypt and returned for the delayed 2021 event in Cameroon.
For Cheruiyot, the 2023 tournament will mark his second consecutive appearance, having also officiated in Cameroon in 2022. Both Cheruiyot and Yiembe are part of the 30 assistant referees critical to the tournament’s success. Yiembe will be experiencing his first AFCON, following his officiating at the AFCON U23 final between Morocco and Egypt in July. The tournament will feature Senegal as they attempt to defend their title.
