Work on three stadiums starts in June, says Sports CS Wario
An artist impression of a stadium by Mutiso Meneses International that was presented to Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario at his office in Nairobi on March 2, 2016. Some 47 such stadiums will be build in all the counties of Kenya. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |
What you need to know:
- Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret to get the new sports facilities
- The three stadiums will be used for football, rugby and athletics. They will meet all international safety and standard requirements.
The Government will begin construction of three of the five modern stadiums pledged in June this year, Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario said on Wednesday.
The CS noted that construction of the facilities will begin after the completion of a procurement process to select a developer.
Wario was speaking at his office in Nairobi yesterday where he also revealed that the government intends to build 47 multi-purpose model stadiums in all the counties. The 3,000-seater stadiums will be constructed in conjunction with county government at a cost of Sh250 million per facility.
The national government will provide Sh200 million with the county governments chipping in the remaining Sh50 million.
Nine counties have been selected for the initial pilot project that will be rolled out in June before being extended to the rest of the country.
The Jubilee Administration promised in its election manifesto to construct five world class stadiums.
The initial three will be located in Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret and are expected to have high performance centres, medical centres, fan shops and other commercial entities.
“Everything is going according to plan and work on the three (stadiums) should commence once we finalise on the paperwork. The Jubilee Government intends to keep its promise and deliver the facilities that will make the country a sporting hub,” Wario said.
The Nairobi facility will be located along Ngong Road close to Jamhuri Park on an 87-acre piece of land, Mombasa’s will be on an 82-acre parcel north west of Mombasa near the Mtwapa Creek while Eldoret’s stadium, christened Athletics Centre of Excellence, will be located adjacent to the University of Eldoret.
The three stadiums will be used for football, rugby and athletics. They will meet all international safety and standard requirements.
“This is an expensive initiative and we’ll have to be bankrolled with money from external sources,” Wario added. Kisii, Nyeri, Tharaka Nithi, Marsabit and Kakamega are some of the counties that Sport Kenya has earmarked land for the stadium constructions.
“The stadiums will be 3,000-seaters and will also include a modern running track and will be able to host a number of sports,” the CS added after receiving the designs.
