To cover more than 620 kilometres by road in 12 hours can be a taxing affair to many people.

Not to mention being among a contingent of more than 2,500 football fans in about 50 buses being cleared at a slow and relaxed Busia border post.

Add to that a painstaking process of clearing more than 100 buses and you begin to get the picture of how the border was for the better part of on Friday night.

One would expect the contingents of fans on their way to cheer the national team, Harambee Stars, as they take on Uganda Cranes this afternoon in Kampala to feel the impact of the journey, but that wasn't the case as they chatted animatedly among themselves.

"Kampala tumesija! Harambee eeeeeee, Harambee aaaaaaa (Kampala here we come!)," chanted Joash Omondi as crossed the border.

Football is Kenya's most popular and widely played sport. It is the people's game worldwide and has especially won the hearts of many in the recent past.

Their love and passion is running so deep they spend a large portion of their weekends at football events or following the game on television.

Socially, the Cranes versus Stars match has been one of the major topics of discussion in the past two weeks; no wonder the high number of fans who squeezed, pushed and shoved to have their travel documents signed at the Busia border post.

Two supporters draped in the national flag could not hide their excitement despite the biting cold, saying they did not know what to expect from the Pearl of Africa on their first visit.

"It looks like a wonderful place," said Nairobi lawyer Jeff Githinji. "We came here early so that we can explore some areas. We are very happy. We have gone to Namboole stadium and we smelt victory."

Sheila Njenga, another Stars supporter, predicts that her first trip to Uganda will be memorable: "We have been going to a few pubs as we try to get into the mood of the match. To me, football is just about having fun."