Kenya is scrambling to bring its ageing infrastructure up to international standards under intense time pressure. At Nyayo Stadium on Mombasa Road, for example, construction crews have torn down the perimeter security wall and are erecting a new one, among other renovations.

With the CHAN tournament rescheduled to August 2025 after Kenya’s earlier unpreparedness forced a postponement, officials face the daunting task of elevating this 42-year-old facility from Category 2 to Category 4 status in mere weeks.

The ongoing renovations are more than cosmetic improvements. Workers were upgrading floodlighting systems to 3,000 Lux standards, installing Video Assistant Referee cameras, and addressing various technical requirements that modern international tournaments demand.

These upgrades aim to transform a stadium built in 1983 for the 1987 All-Africa Games into a venue capable of hosting continental championship matches.

But we must confront this issue: Can renovations truly bring a four-decade-old structure into compliance with contemporary international standards?

Modern stadiums require sophisticated safety systems, improved accessibility, advanced broadcast infrastructure, and better crowd management capabilities.

When Nyayo Stadium was built during President Moi’s era, today’s strict CAF requirements and FIFA standards simply didn’t exist.

The technical challenges facing renovation teams are immense.

Beyond lighting and security walls, officials must address structural integrity concerns, put in place modern emergency evacuation systems, ensure adequate spectator amenities, and create broadcast-quality technical zones.

Clearly, any retrofitting must work around design limitations that come with 1980s architecture, meaning rising costs.

The postponement of CHAN from February to August already signalled Kenya’s infrastructure struggles. With CAF officials maintaining strict venue standards and showing a willingness to relocate tournaments when facilities fall short, Kenya’s hosting rights are still precarious.

To see how truly dilapidated Nyayo Stadium is, you need to view it from above. Getting the arena to jump from Category 2 to Category 4 represents a significant technical leap that goes far beyond cosmetic improvements.

Kenyans need to be honest in evaluating our existing sports infrastructure and devise a serious long-term strategy for them.

While renovating Nyayo Stadium might satisfy immediate CHAN requirements, costly constant upgrades to an ageing facility are unwise.

Each tournament will bring new demands that require fresh investments in a structure limited by its 1980s design.

It’s time for us to consider the economically sound but politically sensitive alternative: replacing Nyayo Stadium entirely and changing its name (which reminds us of an era we would rather forget).

A modern venue would integrate all international requirements from the start, eliminate the cost of constant retrofits, and have the flexibility to accommodate evolving standards for decades to come.

We can continue patching an ageing facility with ever fewer returns, or invest in a made-to-order arena that positions Kenya as a serious long-term host for international sporting and other events.