Why Kasarani tartan track will not be ready for world trials

By , June 13, 2025

Kenya’s athletics hopes will have to wait a little longer at Kasarani, after the government confirmed the dilapidated track will only be replaced after Chan 2025 leaving top athletes to rely on Ulinzi Sports Complex for key trials and training ahead of the World Championships.

The Ministry of Sports revealed that work on the damaged running track will begin in September 2025.

Even before the renovations, the blue athletics track (installed in 2017 for the World Under-18 Athletics Championships) looked shabby and there was need for replacement, especially for top-tier competitions.

Sports Cabine Secretary Salim Mvurya has clarified that due to the urgency of Chan preparations, the new running track will be installed after the continental football showpiece, which is being co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from August 2 to August 30.

“I know most people are worried about the track here at Kasarani Stadium. We are not fixing the tartan track in Kasarani now. We will fix it after August. Right now, we will cover the track spaces with artificial grass carpet. We will install the new athletics track when everything else is done,” Mvurya told People Sports.

The contractor is now working under strict timelines and is expected to have completed the facelift works by June 25 to pave the way for the delayed Chan tournament.

It is not clear when the new track at Nyayo Stadium will be installed, even though the concrete base has been completed. Last month, Nyayo was being fast-tracked in order to host the 2025 Kip Keino Classic, but this could not happen due to time constraints. The event was eventually staged at the Ulinzi Sports Complex for the first time.

The development means that Athletics Kenya (AK) will once again have to utilise Ulinzi Sports Complex for the World Championships trials slated for June 26-28. Additionally, athletes training for the national team en route to the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships could also be moved to the same arena, which has hosted the Kenya Prisons, Police, and Kenya Defence Forces trials.

On Tuesday this week, CS Mvurya led the National Assembly’s Sports and Culture Committee on a tour of Kenya’s Chan and Afcon facilities.

Committee chairperson Dan Wanyama expressed his satisfaction with the progress made so far in preparations for Chan and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

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