Nyayo Stadium reborn and ready for action

Many sporting stakeholders heaved a sigh of relief after President Uhuru Kenyatta reopened the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday afternoon after a three-year closure.

When it was shut down in 2017 for renovations, the stadium was a case study of what a stadium ought not to be – some quarters even describing it as a grazing field.

Now, the 37-year old facility is a case study of the direction that the Sports Kenya should be following with regards to management of stadia in the country.

Nyayo Stadium has risen from the ashes like a phoenix; it may not be at par with the Wembleys, Camp Nous and Santiago Bernabeus of this world but is much improved from the Nyayo Kenyans used to know.

From the outside, what stands out is the new lobby that is adorned by a glittering glass tower.

"We undertook a massive renovation of the entire place. Even in the parking lot, we installed new cabros as this place was initially just dust," Sports Kenya CEO Pius Metto explained during an interview with the Star. 

Surrounding the main stadium are four huge floodlights mounted at each corner.

“This is to ensure that games are able to continue uninterrupted should they drag on into the night,” Metto says.

Anti-hooliganism measures

From an aerial view, the stadium seats resemble a collage or montage of the Kenyan flag colours of red, black and green.

However, this ambience is not the only thing about the 30,000 seats in the refurbished facility.

“When you book a ticket, it indicates the specific seat number on which you must sit. If any seat assigned to you is damaged, we will track you easily and you will account for the loss,” Metto says.

This should be bad news for criminal elements that have for so long taken out their anger over referee decisions on the stadium’s facilities, resulting in millions of property losses and damage.

To make matters worse for these agents of doom, the new Nyayo is fitted with security cameras in most areas to keep vigilance.

This is not only to curb cases of hooliganism but also to ensure that fans and other stakeholders feel secure whenever in the stadium.

In the past, privacy was alien to many athletes who would usually undergo doping tests before competitions.

This has changed with the construction of an anti-doping room to ensure that they can provide samples away from prying eyes.

Anti-doping rooms 

Another addition to the refurbished facility is four additional dressing rooms  - two on both sides of the pitch as well as two separate  referee rooms.

Each of these dressing rooms has lockers that are fitted with modern security safes to secure players’ valuables while on the pitch.

Another first for Nyayo National Stadium - and indeed for other stadia - is the installation of equipment to cater for needs of People Living With Disabilities. 

"The lifts never used to work. We now have lifts at the lobby to enable PLWDs access the main dais. We also have ramps to enable them access the terraces," Metto explains. 

For footballers, stepping on the lush, green grass stimulates the desire to immediately strip down to their football gear to engage in a kickabout of football.

Dan Shikanda, the former AFC Leopards' legend and current club chair, wishes that he was still in his playing days considering the transformation that the football pitch has undergone.

“I played on this pitch so many times and I can tell you that it used to be so hard and bumpy. I even have a scar from an injury that I got on my shoulder while playing here,” Shikanda recollects.

Relief for Ingwe

Although his playing days are over, he cannot help but lick his lips in anticipation of the beautiful times that lie ahead for his boyhood club.

“You know its on this pitch that we created history when we won the Council  for East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) Club Cup three consecutive times. The completion of this stadium is a huge motivation for our team because of the special history we have with this place,” the ex Ingwe great observed.

Not only for Ingwe – who undoubtedly cannot wait to resume their fortress – but for the entire premier league teams that have been struggling to find suitable pitches for their matches.

“You know that last season we used 9 different stadiums as our home grounds. We are glad that the President listened to our petition and decided to reopen the stadium,” said the club supremo.

'Fahali wawili wapiganapo, nyasi ndizo huumia' (When two bulls fight, it is the grass that suffers). 

Taken literally, this swahili saying exemplifies the impact of the many years of intensive Mashemeji derbies, which left the football pitch a dusty landscape with patches of green here and there. 

Luckily, such eyesore is confined to the dustbin of history courtesy of a digital irrigation system that constantly waters the pitch to maintain its green, lush colour. 

New sporting chapter 

A digital irrigation system waters the pitch at intermittent levels according to the evaporation and humidity levels. 

This means that whenever the Nyayo turf is in danger of drying up, the sprinklers on the pitch will automatically  turn on. 

Such technology is enough to draw smiles from the groundsmen and women who will only have to mow the grass to appropriate levels. 

This latest remake marks a new chapter in the history of Kenya's second largest stadium after the Moi International Sports Center Kasarani. 

The stadium was built in 1983 — three years after works began — by the then Kenya Amateur Athletics Association KAAA, who were the original owners. 

The land on which it currently sits — 23 hectares — had been donated by KAAA's first chair Sir Derek Erskine while handing over the reins in 1964 to Musembi Mbati — the association's first African chair. 

In a way, Nyayo Stadium 'birthed' Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani by earning Kenya the rights to bid for the 1987 All Africa Games. 

The 60,000-seater MISC was constructed in readiness for the 1987 All Africa Games. 

"Athletics Kenya surrendered Nyayo Stadium to the Kenya government in 1988 after it was allocated land — alongside other federations — at Kasarani," Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei says. 

With its latest facelift, one can only hope that it can follow in the footsteps of its former self and continue birthing many sporting talents for many generations to come. 

"The upgrade of Nyayo National Stadium is a new chapter in our sporting history. With this reopening, our sporting heroes can add more pages to our reputation as a sporting powerhouse," President Kenyatta said during the reopening ceremony.

Dissenting voices  

For Metto, his mind is clear about the main beneficiaries of the new-look stadium. 

"This is not a facility for Sports Kenya or the Ministry of Sports. This is a facility for all our sporting athletes and the people of Kenya. So, we encourage the fans to restrain themselves and avoid damaging property," he says. 

Nonetheless, there are those who feel that the contractor should have done better considering the long period for which the stadium was closed for renovations. 

"The Nyayo stadium is roofless and exposes the spectators to the ravages of mother nature. The stadium being in the heart of the city, it was supposed to be refurbished to international standards," Peter Kimondo, a Nairobi resident, says. 

Others feel that the three years should have been better spent by building an entirely new stadium rather than piecemeal renovations. 

"We don't need renovations, we need world class stadiums they promised," Brian Obaga, another resident, says. 

Metto — who assumed office in 2017 — is however under no illusions of the humongous task that lies ahead.

"We are ongoing to phase two to finish up on other areas of the stadium. We still need to work on the volleyball, handball and basketball courts as well as the swimming pool," he says. 

Construction of a media center is also ongoing and will be complete when the next football season commences. 

A new benchmark

Apart from Nyayo Stadium, Metto  has his in-tray full following President Kenyatta's directive that  refurbishment of nine more stadia should be fast-tracked in readiness for commissioning in December 2020. 

"Works are almost complete on Kinoru Stadium in Meru and will probably be the first to be commissioned in two or three months. We may commission it concurrently with the one in Chuka, which is also almost done," Metto says. 

Once again, Nyayo National Stadium is a benchmark for the level that all other stadia in the country should aspire to reach — or even surpass.

The CEO promises that the additional nine stadia will be fitted with similar equipment as Nyayo albeit they are smaller in size and seating capacity. 

Kenya  missed out on the opportunity to host the 2018 CHAN because of poor stadia — Nyayo included. 

The pain of this prestigious bonanza slipping out of her hands was expressed through a barrage of criticism mostly directed at the government for its supposed ineptitude. 

Reopening its doors may somewhat soothe this pain and earn the forgiveness of Kenyans if the stadium maintains its new look or even upgrades to Wembley's level. 

"This is a facility for us and for the generations to come. The maintenance of this stadium will not be that of the yesteryears. We will strive to maintain this new standard for years to come," Metto says. 

This is easier said than done; Metto's words will  undoubtedly be put to test on October 3, 2020 when the stadium hosts the Kip Keino Classic (World Athletics Tour).