A carry over promise from the previous Uhuru Kenyatta Jubilee regime, situations in most of the facilities remain an eyesore after construction stalled, leaving a trail of shame.
While several of President William Ruto’s projects in the sports industry are on course, other facilities earmarked for use during the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and 2027 AFCON and other sporting events have stalled.
Construction of the Kamariny Stadium in Elgeyo Marakwet County began back on January 5, 2017, and was estimated to be completed in eight months. The project was faced with financial challenges leading to it stalling between 2007 and 2020. The project to build Marsabit Stadium began on January 5, 2017, when the completion period was set at eight months but nothing has been achieved yet. Ruringu Stadium in Nyeri County was among the projects that commenced on January 5, 2017. The project which stalled was to be done in eight months but the facility stalled.
Other stadiums include Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega, Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, Karatu Stadium in Kiambu County, whose construction started in January 2017, but later stalled, and Wote Stadium in Makueni, which was earmarked to be ready for use in October 2020 but stalled.
Main achievement
The construction of the Talanta City Complex in Nairobi is another main achievement under President Ruto’s regime. The stadium is expected to host some 2027 AFCON games, and hopefully the opening ceremony or the final.
The new sports facility is purely a football ground, with no running track as has been the norm with all our old stadiums. There will, however, be a separate uncovered outside pitch with a running track.
Talanta Stadium, whose construction was commissioned by President Ruto on March 1, 2024, will be a 60,000-seater facility, located at Jamhuri sports ground. It features a change of design from the old ‘shield-like’ structure, to a more modern-looking covered design, that lights up well at night.
The iconic Kasarani Stadium is also undergoing a major facelift that will see it become one of the best stadiums in the continent upon its completion.
President Ruto played a key role for East African nations- Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania – to secure a joint ‘Pamoja bid’ to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the first time, the event will be held in the region. The joint candidacy by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania beat other strong bids from Botswana, Egypt, and Senegal during a vote conducted by members of the CAF’s committee in Cairo held on Wednesday, September 27.
In May 2023, the three East African countries teamed up with a plan dubbed EA (Pamoja) Afcon 2027 bid, which President Ruto, Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), and Tanzania’s Suluhu Hassan believed made a strong case against seasoned hosts like Algeria.
