This year’s Council of Eastern and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) Kagame Cup tournament will be held in August, instead of June as is normally the case. The development was confirmed on Saturday after Cecafa chairman Leodegar Tenga and Secretary General Nicholas Musonye paid a courtesy call on Ferwafa president Vincent Degaule Nzamwita. However, the regional football governing body is yet to determine the host nation for this year’s event. Last year’s edition, which was won by Burundi’s Vital’O, was held in Darfur, Sudan. Rwanda’s APR lost in the final. Speaking to Times Sport, Musonye said: “We have proposed to host the event in August since the World Cup will be played in June-July. It is after the World Cup that we will have some breathing space.” “People are committed to the World Cup, that’s why we had to reschedule.” Rwanda is among the countries being considered to host the 2014 championships, according to the visiting Cecafa delegation. “During our visit we have looked into the possibility of staging the competition (Kagame Cup) in Rwanda but we will return on April 8 for further talks before a final decision is reached,” added Musonye. Since 2002, President Paul Kagame has been the main sponsor of the tournament. The President provides $60,000 which is shared among the top three finishing teams in the annual tournament. Besides the prize money, the President also gives $15,000 for the organization of the tournament. Musonye said their visit was aimed at officially meeting with Ferwafa’s new executive committee members following elections early this year. The Cecafa officials also held talks with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Culture, Edward Kalisa. Last year, Rwanda was meant to host the Senior Challenge Cup (Cecafa national teams) but later bowed out of the race. Kenya subsequently hosted the tournament which they would eventually win. The 2015 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup will be staged in Rwanda as the country readies to host the 2016 African Nations Championships finals.
