President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Sports to proceed with the construction of a 10,000-seater capacity Stadium in Kilifi County.

The announcement was made by Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya on Thursday, February 5, during a rally in Kilifi, noting that the directives came from the president.

“H.E President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Sports to fully fund the construction of the 10,000 seater capacity Kilifi Stadium, foregoing previous fiscal arrangement with the County Government of Kilifi,” Mvurya said.

On his part, Mvurya confirmed that the Ministry of Sports will take over the construction two weeks time.

According to Mvurya, the contractors working in the 15,000-seater capacity Stadium in Mombasa will be switching over to Kilifi and are expected to complete the stadium in 2026.

“Further, in 2 weeks, the contractor taking over construction works at the 15,000 seater capacity Mombasa Stadium will move in and begin to assess the scope of work. H.E President William Ruto has directed the two stadiums to be completed before December 2026,” he added.

Mombasa Stadium

The announcement came just days after the Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru, together with his counterpart from Sports, Elijah Mwangi, recently visited the Governor of Mombasa County, H.E. Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, to deliberate on the completion of the long-stalled 15,000 seater Mombasa Stadium.

During the meeting, the leaders discussed practical modalities to unlock the project and ensure its swift completion. Mariru reiterated that the Ministry of Defence, through the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and as directed by Ruto, is working closely with State Departments and County Governments to establish and complete modern stadia across the country.

He emphasised that sports infrastructure development remains a key pillar in promoting national identity, youth empowerment, talent development, and economic growth.

Once completed, the Mombasa Stadium is expected to significantly boost sports tourism and position the coastal region as a premier destination for regional and international sporting events. The Ministry of Defence affirmed its commitment to ensuring that, upon commencement, the stadium will be completed within one year.