The county boss feels the Sports CS has failed to rein in on the contractors who have delayed the completion of the sporting facility.
Uasin Gishu governor Jonathan Bii has lashed out at Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba for taking too long to sort out the slow progress of construction work at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.
Bii feels the stadium should have been completed by now or works going on, unlike the current state where construction has stalled on the project that was commissioned 11 years ago.
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Namwamba toured the stadium on Tuesday and had a go at the contractor for ‘lying’ over the slow progress of construction but Bii feels the CS should have done enough by now, especially given the county is set to host the annual devolution conference in August, with the stadium earmarked to host sports activities.
“We were with Sports CS Ababu Namwamba when he visited the stadium this week. We told him this is not the first time you are coming here and you looked serious the first time, we thought now it’s getting done,” Bii said on Thursday.
“Tell us the truth, if it’s not getting done, tell us so, instead of giving us false hopes. Kakamega and Kisumu, their stadium is ready but here, where we call county of champions there is no stadium.
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The Sports CS expressed his displeasure at the slow pace of construction work at the facility earmarked to host AFCON 2027
“We want all the money to help build the stadium to come between now and August when we host the devolution conference. If there is someone who has siphoned money meant for the stadium he should be arrested.
“To the CS, we have a big name here. All the top Kenyan athletes are here. Faith Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge have been here. What do we tell people when they come here and they want to go to Kipchoge Stadium only to find a forest?”
The 10,000-seaster Kipchoge Keino Stadium has been an eyesore for over a decade after successive regimes failed to ensure its completion despite millions of shillings being released for its construction with cat and mouse games being witnessed between the government and contractors.
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The Sports Ministry received a paltry Ksh6.4 billion for the 2023-24 financial year with no special funds set aside to upgrade stadia to CAF standards.
This was on show again on Tuesday when Namwamba visited the facility.
“How come you lie to me, you are doing it here not even on the phone. If I was away, I could have believed what you are saying,” Namwamba told the on-site contractor.
“We are here to send a message that there is a new way of doing things. We are hands-on and want value for money plus I will not allow a contractor to lie to my face when we have the whole of Africa possibly coming here for the Africa Cup of Nations.
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He also revealed that the Local Organising Committee is done with the preparations and they are just waiting for the D-day to come.
“The length of time it has taken to get this facility to this level is criminal. If you look at the pitch, it is a grazing ground. I launched the work for this tartan track 11 years ago when I was Minister for Sports, it needed to be refreshed over time which has not been done.”
Kipchoge Keino, alongside Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums, are the facilities that Kenya intends to use for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations if the EAC Pamoja Bid, alongside its neighbours Tanzania and Uganda, is successful, but their state and government’s lack of commitments so far has many doubting whether the region will actually host the continental tournament.