Sports CS Salim Mvurya has announced that the government will, within the next six months, invest Sh800 million to convert the Ithookwe showground into an international stadium.
Mvurya visited the site, on the outskirts of Kitui town, which is earmarked to host this year’s national Mashujaa Day celebrations on October 20.
President William Ruto will grace the event.
Governor Julius Malombe gave the Sports CS an inspection tour of the site that traditionally hosts the Kitui County Agricultural Show.
“This stadium will have a capacity of 10,000 people. We are constructing it to international standards,” Mvurya told the media.
The CS had earlier given the projected timelines, saying the tender would be advertised on Tuesday next week and work would continue until October.
“We have a deadline; we have the function here by October 20. Therefore, we have to complete the stadium before Mashujaa Day. So, around October 10, we should be asking the contractor to hand over the finished project.”
He however clarified that the stadium was not being done for the sole purpose of hosting Mashujaa Day, adding that thereafter, the facility would be used for other activities.
“We will fashion it such that it will have a canopy all round. It has to satisfactorily meet the desired expectation. After the Mashujaa Day event, other crucial sporting facilities will be added,” the CS added.
The additional facilities would not be necessary for the Mashujaa celebrations and would make the stadium suitable for games like soccer and athletics.
Although the construction of the world-class stadium is likely to interfere with the holding of this year’s agricultural show, Malombe was quick to allay such fears, saying there were concrete plans to hold the trade fair.
“We have a myriad of options. There are other places where we can hold the show. We can even still hold it at the Kitui County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Kanyonyoo, where we have plenty of space,” he said.
Malombe was responding to questions on how construction work would continue through July and not interfere with the show that is held during the same month.
He thanked the President for allowing the county to host the celebrations and with it, the international stadium was born.
“In my capacity as the governor of Kitui, I would like to thank President William Ruto for accepting to hold the sherehe here. We are really grateful,” Malombe said.
