Plans to relocate Busia stadium to Agriculture Training Centre have received mixed reaction from leaders and members of the public who are calling on the county government to reconsider their move.

Senator Okiya Omtatah and locals argue that the devolved government reportedly failed to conduct meaningful public participation engagement with locals.

Omtatah says he is opposed to the county’s plan after it allegedly failed to give clear information about the proposal and at the same time denied them enough time and an opportunity to express and have their views on the matter taken into account.

In a letter dated October 16, Omtatah faulted the local government through the chief officer for Youth, Sports and Gender, Saviour Panyako for inviting a select group of people for the crucial engagement adding that the invitation letter targeting institutions has very limited reach and cannot substitute for formal advertisements in the media.

Public purpose

“In the instant matter, your office has a duty to facilitate meaningful engagement with the public in accordance with the very weighty proposal at hand. It should include access to and dissemination of relevant information, providing a reasonable opportunity to the public and all interested parties to know about the proposal so that they can sufficiently ventilate the same even if no guarantee is given that each individual’s views will be taken,” a letter by Omtatah to Panyako read in sections.

At the same time, Omtatah submitted that the 95-acre ATC land was reserved for a public purpose that is still valid, including establishing a university of agriculture or other institution centred on excellence in agriculture. He added that the local government has also not carried out any feasibility studies showing the viability of locating the stadium on the proposed site, as opposed to available alternative sites.

Ambitious project

Additionally, Omtatah claimed that the local government is suffering financial constraints and has no money to undertake the ambitious project that he said will cost billions for both design and construction.

“There is no basis for making a choice between the stadium and the ATC in the absence of tangible studies. Given the budget constraints, which the Busia County Executive and the country at large, have currently, there is no money running into billions of shillings for the design and construction of such an ambitious stadium,” he said.

He accused the Busia leadership of being obsessed with ill-conceived, sham projects that he alleged are used to exhaust county budgets for the benefit of a few well-connected contractors and powerful individuals in and out of the County Government, as opposed to addressing the priority livelihood needs of the locals.