Tharaka-Nithi wish to be known not for polls, but sports prowess

Political banter goes that Presidential elections in Kenya aren’t decided until the Tharaka-Nithi County vote is tallied.

“You the people of Tharaka-Nithi have always taken the cup for recording the biggest turnout during elections. 

“I want you to do the same this time and ensure this man of kitendawili does not come near us,” President Uhuru said in Chuka on August 8, 2017, during his Presidential re-election campaigns against nemesis-turned-ally, Raila Odinga.

But the oft-talked about county in politics now wants a share of the sporting cake, only if its sports stadiums are upgraded to national stature.

Stadium is still a skeleton

The visit of Sports Chief Administrative Secretary Hassan Noor Hassan to Kirubia Stadium last week rekindled the waning hopes of sportsmen and women of the county of having quality venues where they can nurture talent. 

Plans for the construction of the Sh274 million stadium, located in the outskirts of the biggest Tharaka-Nithi County commercial centre, Chuka town in Chuka/ Igambang’ombe Constituency, were announced in 2013, but work started on September 23, 2016.

The work, assigned to Toddy Civil Engineering and Construction Company, was scheduled to take only eight months, but close to four years down the line, the stadium is still a skeleton.

The work started in top gear but after several months, everything stopped with the contractor complaining of failure by the government to pay Sh70 million that had been incurred and for months, the site remained deserted.

Re-election campaign

In June, 2017, during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election campaign, the Head of State visited the project and officially launched it, igniting the residents’ hope that lasted for a few months before a cloud of darkness engulfed the project once again.

Last week’s visit by Hassan has given locals another hope that the facility will soon be completed after he announced that the government had voted money to complete the work “in four months’ time” in order to allow residents use the facility that they have awaited for a long time.

He said the work was delayed due to lack of funds and “other inconveniences”, but assured that everything had now been settled: “The government was not able to complete the work on the scheduled period as per the contract due to financial challenges, but all the funds required to complete it are now available and the contractor has resumed work.” 

He said other flagship stadium projects for the Ministry of Sports, including the Kinoru Stadium in Meru County, Ruringu in Nyeri, Kamarine in Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kipchoge Keino in Uasin Gishu and Wote in Makueni will also be complete soon.

He noted that Tharaka-Nithi County is rich in sport talent but there are no facilities to help the youths nurture them. 

Tharaka-Nithi County Education, Sports, Youth, Culture and Tourism Executive Sheila Kiganka said devolved government is also building three stadiums — Kairuni in Chogoria Maara Constituency, Nyangumi in Marimanti Tharaka and Kathwana in Chuka Igambang’ombe. 

“We signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sports Kenya to maintain the Kirubia Stadium once complete,” said Kiganka.

Once complete, the Kirubia Stadium will have an international standard tartan track, a football pitch, changing rooms and a sitting capacity of 4,500.

Setting up of an irrigation system, terraces and changing rooms are nearly complete. Tharaka Nithi boasts several notable football clubs such as Kibunga FC, Mariamnti, Panga, Live Wire, Kibugua Junior, Young Tigers and Kairuni FC.

Although most of the youths in the county are talented in sports, the majority of them do not realise their full potential since they have to scramble for the limited spaces in public school fields which are also in deplorable state.

The devolved unit has never hosted a national sports event but Kiganka is optimistic that after Kirubia and other stadiums are completed, the county will become an epicentre of sports in the Ameru region that also has Kinoru stadium.