Cabinet Secretary in the government of Kenya, Ababu Namwamba, was responsible for inspecting the ongoing construction of the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. During his trip, he accompanied Sports Permanent Secretary Peter Tum. The visit to the stadium took place on August 4, 2023.
They inspected the ongoing construction in readiness for the devolution conference games. The authorities have shared that they would host the games in the facility. Following the visit of the Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary of Sport, they expressed their satisfaction with the pace.
CS Ababu also expressed satisfaction with the quality of work that the contractor has taken up. He drew a comparison to the state of the stadium a month ago. He spoke of the previous visit to the stadium a month prior. “Five weeks ago, we were here and left in a very foul mood because of the disappointments on the ground.
At the time, the officials were hearing stories of how work was going on here. However, he confessed when we visited this stadium, we were in absolute shock at the status of the work.
“But a couple of weeks down the line, I must say that we have made real progress,” he added.
On the condition of the pitch, the CS lauded the contractor for the swift progress, which he said was a step in the right direction regarding the standards his Ministry set out.
“The pitch was worse than a cattle track. However, now it is starting to look like a sporting pitch. Here, we can comfortably allow our footballers and other field events. Previously, he announced that the whole area was looking tattered and unkempt. But now we can see some landscaping that has happened, making the place look much better,” noted CS Ababu.
CS Ababu Namwamba called on the contractor to maintain the pace of work. He sought to ensure that the pitch was ready for the first match of the devolution conference in 10 days. “There is a bit of work still to be done on the rise and the grass so that they are of the required level and height; they want to ready the stadium for the sports events.
CS Ababu lauded the organisers of the devolution conference. Accordingly, he termed it as uniquely special for integrating sports. Meanwhile, he added that Uasin Gishu County was popular countrywide for producing great sports personalities who made huge contributions to the brand value of our nation.
He assured Kenyans that his Ministry was doing everything humanely possible to ensure the facility was ready for the devolution conference, urging them to look forward to a fantastic conference in Eldoret. He added that his Ministry’s biggest dream was an international standard stadium in Eldoret to reflect Uasin Gishu’s contribution to Kenyan Sport.
On his part, PS Tum thanked the County leadership for the collaboration and personnel provision that helped supervise the project jointly with the national government.
He commended CS Ababu Namwamba for showing great interest in the facility’s success. “You have had your fingers on this project and your eyes so closely to monitor every happening here. This has ensured that we can proudly say that we have real light at the end of the tunnel.”
Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member for Sports Eng. Lucy Njoroge conveyed the county government’s gratitude to the Ministry for the efforts they have put in to ensure that the Kipchoge Keino Stadium was ready to host the games for the Devolution Conference.
