Harambee Stars to play matches at Kirigiti, Ulinzi sports complex
By Dennis Mabuka, October 12, 2023
Kenya confirmed yesterday that all national teams, including soccer side Harambee Stars, will now be forced to play their matches at Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu County and Ulinzi Complex in Nairobi.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba (pictured) disclosed that the decision was necessitated by the fact that Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums will officially be closed in three weeks’ time for thorough renovation work ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals. Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda were granted the rights to host the tournament by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) through their joint bid dubbed ‘Pamoja.’
“We are soon going to hand over Kasarani, Nyayo and Kipchoge Keino stadia to the Kenyan military for renovation work and this means national teams including Harambee Stars will have to play any of their upcoming matches or train at either Kirigi or Ulinzi Complex stadia,” said Namwamba.
He also confirmed the move to renovate the stadia had the backing of the Kenyan cabinet and further said they have already redesigned their look in readiness for renovation work.
“We cannot hide the fact that our facilities are in total tatters, we have not made any serious investment in our stadia for many years now. The last time we made a serious investment in our stadia was 40 years ago: Nyayo Stadium in 1983, Kasarani Stadium in 1987–that is 40 years ago, to be honest,” said, Namwamba, adding: “It is about time we made some serious investment and we are ready to do that and we have already re-designed Kasarani, we have re-designed Nyayo and we have re-designed Kipchoge.”
Namwamba took his time to wade into the issue of which nation will host the opening ceremony and the final of the 2027 AFCON insisting CAF will make the final call over the matter.