Nandi Governor explains why he wants to rename Kipchoge Keino Stadium to William Ruto
By Mabonga Makhanu, December 9, 2025Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has revealed that the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Kapsabet will be renamed William Ruto Stadium once reconstruction is complete.
While speaking during the inauguration of the Kapsabet Municipality office on Monday, December 8, 2025, he said that there is no president in history who has brought as many contributions to Nandi County as President William Ruto.
He stated that the decision was aimed at eliminating identity-related complications caused by the presence of another stadium bearing the same name in nearby Eldoret.
“Because we have Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret and ours is also named Kipchoge Keino, we decided to change ours to William Ruto Stadium here in Kapsabet. Sometimes a project is meant for Nandi but ends up in Eldoret because the identical names cause confusion.”
He also stated that many stadiums have been named after past presidents and leaders, but none has been named after President William Ruto, and that is what informed his proposal to change the name of the Kapsabet-based stadium—originally named after Kipchoge Keino, a great marathoner from the area—to William Ruto Stadium, since the President has also contributed to its construction.
“We’ve heard of Moi Stadium and Raila Odinga Stadium. We will name ours William Ruto Stadium because he has done the construction job for us,” he said.
Stephen Sang continued to state that the stadium has often confused people whenever an event is set to be held there, with many assuming the Kipchoge Keino Stadium being referred to is the one based in Eldoret City just a few metres away.
Lusaka suggestion
This comes days after a similar proposal from the Bungoma Governor, Ken Lusaka, who during the Madaraka Day celebrations in 2024 also proposed renaming Matulo Airstrip to William Ruto Airport.
He stated that should the President fast-track the construction of the airstrip, which has since lagged after the celebrations, it should be named after him, since it was during his tenure that such a monumental developmental project began.
Past proposals
There are some stadiums that have changed their names after reconstruction. The first stadium to be renamed was Kericho Green Stadium, which hosted the Mashujaa Day celebrations of 2023 and was renamed from Kericho Green Stadium to Kurgat Chumo Stadium in honour of the athlete who hailed from the area.