2017 World U-18 championship organisers broke

The intended construction of three ultra-modern running tartan tracks and athletes village at Kenyatta University has left a deficit of Sh1 billion in the budget for 2017 World Under-18 Championships.

The CEO of the 2017 World Under-18 Championships Local Organising Committee Mwangi Muthee has said the tartan tracks and village were not

factored in in the initial budget of Sh2 billion when the event was earmarked for Nyayo National Stadium. Muthee said the competition and warm up

tracks at the Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani will cost Sh400m while Sh600 million will go towards the warm up track and renovations at Kenyatta

University where the competition’s village will be situate.

The championship that will be held July 12 to 16, 2017 at Kasarani will attract 1,600 athletes from 160 countries.

“I scrutinised the initial budget of Sh2 billion and it was mostly recurrent and based on general organisation of the event,” said Muthee. “We never sat down to review the budget after the event was taken to Kasarani.”

Muthee said everything should be tendered for before the end of this month since the Government has promised to act on requests. “We are behind schedule but I believe we shall stage a world-class event,” said Muthee.

However, Sports Principal Secretary Richard Ekai has said that besides going back to the Treasury, organisers will adopt an inter-ministerial approach to see how the deficit can be bridged.

Ekai and Muthee were speaking Thursday during the World Under-18 media breakfast meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi.

Also in attendance were a senior advisor in the Office of President, Ruth Kaggia, who represented chief guest Joseph Kinyua, who is the Head of Public

Service and the World Under-18 Local Organising Committee chairman Jackson Tuwei, who is also the Athletics Kenya President.