Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru has hosted his counterpart from the State Department for Sports Eng. Peter Tum at the Defence Headquarters, Nairobi to lay ground for the construction of Stadiums in preparation for the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) slated for 2027.
The PS noted that it’s an honour for the government to mandate the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to supervise the construction of the sporting facilities adding that the privilege comes with huge responsibilities.
Mr. Mariru affirmed that MoD is prepared for the task ahead saying that all legal frameworks shall be finalized and the projects kick off before the end of this year.
“We are alive to the fact that the projects have strict deadlines but we are determined to ensure that the procurement processes and the necessary approval by the Attorney General shall be concluded within 4-5 weeks to enable us to sign the contract and commence the works latest by December.” said the PS.
The Cabinet chaired by His Excellency Dr William Ruto approved the construction of a 50,000-capacity Talanta Stadium at Jamhuri grounds in Nairobi and major renovations at Nyayo National Stadium and Kasarani Sports Complex. The Cabinet further approved the reconstruction of Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, all of which shall be supervised by the Defence Ministry.
Eng. Tum exuded confidence in the capability of MoD to undertake ambitious projects which meet the international standards of modern football Stadiums and establish a critical marketing and communication strategy to have centralized communication.
“This is a joint East Africa Pamoja bid thus we are in consultation with the Sports Ministries from Tanzania and Uganda. We are hopeful that we shall have the facilities before time to enable the CAF officials to inspect the Stadiums before the matches begin,” said Eng. Tum.
For the successful execution of the project, the two Ministries have formed joint committees on three levels with the highest being the Steering Committee Co-chaired by the two PSs.
The second is the technical committee chaired by the Chief of Infrastructure at the Defence Headquarters Brigadier Titus Sokobe and the Director General of Sports Kenya while the third is the project implementation committee bringing together senior officers from the Infrastructure Branch at the Defence Headquarters and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Arts and Sports.
Present during the meeting were the Vice Chief of Defence Forces (VCDF) Lieutenant General Jonah Mwangi, Chief of Legal Services at the Defence Headquarters Brigadier Yvonne Kerubo, Brigadier Titus Sokobe and senior officials from the two Ministries.
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