Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has committed to ensuring construction works on the stalled Kipchoge Keino and 64 stadiums in Eldoret town are completed as soon as possible.
Namwamba says it is a shame that stadiums in the county known for producing international athletes are yet to compete, several years after their constructions were launched.
Kipchoge Keino Stadium was part of the sporting facilities that the Jubilee government promised to face-lift into the state-of-the-art, but to date in 2013 but its construction is yet to be completed.
Works on the stadium have dragged on, due to among others, a lack of sufficient funds.
Further, construction works for 64 Stadium have also been ongoing for a while. The project is being funded by the World Bank.
Funds depleted
But according to Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim, the funds have since depleted, staling works on the stadium.
“Allow me to come to your office with a comprehensive report on how to finish Kipchoge Keino Stadium. It will be a real success story in our county,” Chelilim said during an event attended by the CS.
“We are building another stadium done by the donor community, but it has stalled again. We will come and explain,” he added.
But responding to the governor, the new Sports CS said as a government, they will fix the two stadiums.
Namwamba said Uasin Gishu has given so much to the country hence a responsibility of the government to ‘plough back into this county’.
“Nothing brands Kenya better than athletes. We must invest back where the branding value came from. It’s a shame that you can be identifying with a stadium that has remained in a sorry state for eternity,” noted the CS.
He further revealed that he was the one who launched the rehabilitation of the Kipchoge Keino stadium in 2012 when he was the Sports Minister, and over 10 years later, the stadium is yet to be completed.
“I will finish what I started,” he pledged, adding that “we will fix Kipkeino stadium. We will fix 64 stadium.”
Hope it won’t be the same narrative in 2028