Kidero pledges support for U-18 Championships

The Nairobi County Government will soon embark on a major infrastructural development as its contribution to the IAAF World Under-18 Championships to be held in the city from July 12 to 16.

Governor Evans Kidero has, as a first step, called for key stakeholders to join him for a site visit next Thursday to assess requirements and needs at all venues and places where the event will be hosted.

Governor Kidero said this during a courtesy call on his office by Local Organising Committee Friday morning. All IAAF global Championships are owned by IAAF, host cities and host national federations, in this case Athletics Kenya.

The meeting will include top officials from Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), Kenya Highway Authority (KenHa), Kenyatta University, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Sports and Kenya Power.

“Let us visit the areas where the event will be held first, and especially those areas that will need the intervention of my government. The rest are details,” said Kidero, who was accompanied by County Executive Officers, Ann Lokidor (Youth Affairs and Education), who is also the vice chairlady of the LOC and Ann Othoro, (Trade, Industry and Tourism).

Muthee and his team urged the County Government to allocate a dedicated traffic lane right from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Kasarani, which will be the epicentre of the event, and Kenyatta University, where the Athletes Village is based.

The dedicated traffic lane is globally used by visiting delegations to ensure traffic flow from the airport to the competition venues, media and athletes’ villages.

The LOC wants roads inside and outside Kasarani cleaned up, roundabouts along the route repainted, gravelling of feeder roads, a footbridge at Kenyatta University constructed, broken seats at the Stadium replaced among other things.