- The Cabinet approved the construction of a 50,000-capacity Talanta Stadium at Jamhuri grounds in Nairobi and major renovations at Nyayo National Stadium and Kasarani Sports Complex.
- The Cabinet further approved the reconstruction of Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, all of which shall be supervised by the Defence Ministry.
Plans to upgrade the country’s stadia got underway after top defence and sports officials met to lay the ground for the same in Nairobi.
Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru Wednesday hosted his sports counterpart Peter Tum at the Defence Headquarters, Nairobi to lay ground for the renovation of selected stadia and the construction of the Talanta stadium ahead of the 2027 African Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The biannual tournament will be jointly co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania under the 'Pamoja bid'.
For the successful execution of the project, the two Ministries formed joint committees on three levels with the highest being the steering committee co-chaired by the two PSs.
The second is the technical committee chaired by the chief of infrastructure at the Defence Headquarters Brigadier Titus Sokobe and the Director General of Sports Kenya.
The third is the project implementation committee bringing together senior officers from the infrastructure branch at the Defence Headquarters and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Arts and Sports.
Mariru said it is an honour for the government to mandate the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to supervise the construction of the sporting facilities adding that the privilege comes with huge responsibilities.
He said they are prepared for the task ahead saying that all legal frameworks shall be finalized and the projects kick off before the end of this year.
“We are alive to the fact that the projects have strict deadlines but we are determined to ensure that the procurement processes and the necessary approval by the Attorney General shall be concluded within four to five weeks to enable us to sign the contract and commence the works latest by December,” said the PS.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a 50,000-capacity Talanta Stadium at Jamhuri grounds in Nairobi and major renovations at Nyayo National and Kasarani stadia.
The Cabinet further approved the reconstruction of Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, all of which shall be supervised by the Defence Ministry.
Tum exuded confidence in the capability of the military to undertake ambitious projects, which meet the international standards of modern football stadiums and establish a critical marketing and communication strategy to have centralized communication.
“This is a joint East Africa Pamoja bid thus we are in consultation with the Sports Ministries from Tanzania and Uganda. We are hopeful that we shall have the facilities before time to enable the CAF officials to inspect the Stadiums before the matches begin,” said Tum.
Present during the meeting were the Vice Chief of Defence Forces (VCDF) Lt Gen Jonah Mwangi, Chief of Legal Services at the Defence Headquarters Brig Yvonne Kerubo, Brig Titus Sokobe and senior officials from the two Ministries.
Kenya is currently in the midst of an ambitious effort to build stadiums across various parts of the country with the goal of positioning itself as a competitive sporting destination while fostering talent development.
The projects have been hailed as a significant step forward in improving the country’s sporting infrastructure, providing athletes with state-of-the-art facilities, and offering communities spaces for recreational activities and events.
However, despite the lofty goals and enthusiasm surrounding the projects, the construction of stadiums in Kenya has become a controversial subject.
Controversies over delays, stalling, and the delivery of underwhelming facilities have marred the implementation of these initiatives.
Many of the projects have fallen significantly behind schedule, leading to frustrations.