- It is first ever new facility to be constructed in the country in decades after Nyayo and Kasarani.
- It is a tech-savvy facility designed for top-level live TV broadcasts, VAR and goal-line technology comparable to international stadia.
Image: COURTESY
Kenya made a significant stride Friday in its preparations to host the 2027 AFCON by launching the construction of a 60,000-capacity modern stadium in Nairobi.
This is in addition to the ongoing renovation at the Kasarani Stadium which is set to be completed by December before action moves to Nyayo National Stadium.
President William Ruto presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of the Talanta Sports City at Jamhuri along Ngong Road.
The project to be completed in record less than two years is a customized only-football design tailored for soccer, rugby and elite concerts.
It is the first ever new facility to be constructed in the country in decades after Nyayo and Kasarani.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba who spoke during the launch revealed that the project is of a unique design that oozes a distinct Kenyan flavour, curated to reflect the best of Kenyan culture.
“We have spent six months of intense work behind the scenes to conceive and curate what promises to be an iconic landmark,” he said.
He added, “It is a compact edifice curated to accentuate electric passionate atmosphere that will always hand Kenya teams that crucial 12-man advantage for every home game”.
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Ababu stated that the facility takes all FIFA and CAF requirements on size, circulation of fans, VIP and VVIP spaces and other details required by the bodies.
It will comprise seven changing rooms.
It is also a tech-savvy facility designed for top-level live TV broadcasts, VAR and goal-line technology comparable to the very best international stadia across the world, said the CS.
The project is also in synch with the green agenda and “we have paid attention to renewable energy and made deliberate efforts to fuse development with botanical gardens and green spaces”.
Beyond AFCON, Ababu noted that they will explore ways of turning it into an economic hub to help generate revenue in terms of the naming rights by handing it over to professional management.
The stadium, Ababu added, is a legacy project that helps to deliver on three pivotal promises in the Kenya Kwanaza plan.
These are on elite sports infrastructure, the promise of making Kenya a competitive destination for elite sporting events and the promise of using sports as an economy to provide opportunities for the youth.
He did not, however, disclose the cost only stating that the cost per unit is way cheaper than other stadia on analysis across the continent.
Ruto directed Defence CS Aden Duale and Chief of Defences Forces Francis Ogolla to ensure there is weekly supervision in the construction of the Talanta Sports City, in Nairobi.
Speaking during the event, Ruto said that he expects all timelines set to be met as agreed.
He said the Ministry of Defence must also ensure that the stadium is built with world-class discipline.
Ruto added that while the Defence ministry will be doing weekly supervisions, he will personally supervise the progress achieved every three months.
"I have agreed with the ministries, and that is why the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Defence are also represented here because we want this stadium to be built to world-class standard using military discipline," Ruto said.
"I will expect our defence team, Aden Duale, the CDF and the team to make sure all the timelines we have agreed are kept by the contractor and I expect that there will be supervision every week, every two weeks and I will be here myself every three months until this facility is completed."
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