Construction work on the historic Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu is now 50 per cent complete.
The upgrade project is undertaken by the national government in collaboration with the county government at a cost of Sh600 million. It will be a 16,000-seater facility.
Before the government initiated construction works last year, the ground was overgrown and littered, and old provincial administration structures on-site had run down.
Governor James Nyoro sought the national government’s assistance, saying upgrading the stadium to international standards would elevate the status of Kiambu as a sporting county.
Additionally, the governor requested the national government to set up and staff a police post to secure the stadium and its assets. Recalling the long history of the stadium of political mobilisation and sporting events, Nyoro emphasised the need for a museum to safeguard that information for future generations.
He said the facility will offer alternative training and playing grounds to local athletes and those from the neighbouring county of Nairobi. His government has undertaken to construct a drainage system to prevent the facility from getting waterlogged.
Mau Mau War Veteran Association secretary general Gitu wa Kahengeri welcomed the development. He wants a section of the facility reserved for a freedom struggle monument.
“Part of this should be devoted to the recognition of those who initiated the struggle in form of statues and personal information," Kahengeri said.
Kiambu Youth and Sports executive Eric Kiriko said the stadium will be crucial to nurturing and developing talent, creating jobs, and enabling the county to earn extra revenue.
The ground was used by residents for cultural and traditional events before colonisation. The British colonisers also used it for public meetings, mainly organised by administrators to demand tax payment. Residents say the meetings in most cases degenerated to insults to them, adding that that tainted the image of the facility.
The colonisers also used it to host cricket matches from which the facility got its name. The Kikuyu community living in the area pronounced cricket as kirigiti.
At the onset of the struggle for Independence, the initiators used Kirigiti to pass and spread their message through song, dance and other cultural media.
Just before the declaration of the state of emergency in 1952, Kirigiti hit the headlines when Jomo Kenyatta, the man who would become Kenya’s first president, held a protest meeting there.
Years later when prisoners were released from detention camps and penal institutions across the country, those from Kiambu were herded into Kirigiti before they were processed and handed over to their local chiefs.
“There they suffered untold indignity, hunger, thirst, diseases and weather vagaries,” Kahengeri recalled.
Since then and through the years, the stadium's infrastructure has been left in ruins even though it continued to host sporting and political activities, including public holiday events.
Notable functions include the last rally during the campaigns for the adoption of the 2010 Constitution led by then-President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The Constitution would be overwhelmingly voted for at a referendum.
In 2013, TNA candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto also sought divine intervention at Kirigiti ahead of their joint presidential ticket amid crimes against humanity charges at The Hague.
The installation of William Kabogo as the first governor of Kiambu also took place at the place.
Kirigiti Community Football team captain James Kaara also lauded the project, saying the modernisation will enable the stadium to host nationwide, premier league and even international matches.
"Apart from giving us a standard home ground, this will inspire young footballers from Kiambu to become better players,” he said.
When completed—hopefully by the end of this year—the stadium will have a VIP pavilion, netball and volleyball courts, two basketball courts, a swimming pool, an amphitheatre, a football pitch, and a modern athletics track.
Edited by F'Orieny
