Works at Masinde Muliro stadium in Bungoma will be completed to international standards - after hosting this year's Madaraka day celebrations.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba said some things will not be completed before the fete, citing the upgrade of the stadium playing surface with the right kind of grass and efficient irrigation system.
“After Madaraka day there are some works that we have accelerated for Madaraka day but immediately after June 1st work continues here, this will continue being a construction site.”
The stadium is designed to host a total of 15,000 people with 5,000 at the VIP lounge and 10,000 on the sitting terraces.
“We have put in the scope a modern canopy all around this stadium not mabati but of a modern material called Teflon so that this stadium has an international shade all round,” the CS said.
There will also be upgrades to the changing rooms and VIP spaces that are required for referees, doctors, visiting teams among others.
Namwamba, who spoke during a visit to the stadium over the weekend, applauded the Kenya Defense Forces, the National Youth Service and the county of Bungoma for taking the 'whole government approach' to ensure the work is completed.
The CS was accompanied by Bungoma commissioner Thomas Sankei and Secretary William Nasong'o.
He said resources have been already allocated to complete all the mentioned works because they want to see international events hosted at the stadium.
The CS faulted previous governments for neglecting sporting facilities, saying it is the reason national teams are playing away from home.
“I know that Kenyans have had a lot of concerns about the state of the Kenyan stadia. Kenyans have expressed concern of our national teams playing away from home and I can tell Kenyans that is the price we can pay for 60 years of neglect, for a long time this country has neglected to invest efficiently in our sports facilities.”
He noted that stadiums have been left to "lie there without any refurbishing".
“Nyayo and Karasani are 40 years old and that is why I have closed those two facilities to undergo major refurbishing to be reopened by the end of this year and by the time we reopen the two facilities they would have returned to the highest level of international status,” he said.