By Lauryne Akoth
President William Samoei Ruto arrived at the Jamhuri Grounds in Nairobi for the groundbreaking ceremony to construct Talanta Sports City Stadium.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), selected Kenya Uganda, and Tanzania as the host nations for the 2025 and 2027 editions of the AFCON tournament.
The 60,000-capacity stadium was selected among the host venues for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Other stadiums selected include the Nyayo National Stadium and the Kasarani Stadium. In attendance for the event were Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor, CS Defence Aden Duale among other dignitaries.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba received the president on arrival and proceeded to showcase a façade shop drawing of the stadium.
As the Kenya Defence Forces were assigned the duty of supervising the stadium’s construction, it was fitting for a sergeant from the KDF to lead the president during the groundbreaking ceremony. Speaking at the ceremony, sports cabinet secretary Ababu Namwamba noted that the project was a collaborative effort between The Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Defence.
The CS termed the stadium a unique design curated to reflect the very best of Kenyan culture.
“It is a customized football-only design tailored for soccer, rugby, and elite consults,” said the CS. He reiterated the fact that the construction of the stadium was not only in line with the President’s green agenda but also Fifa and CAF requirements.
“Compared to other similar projects such as the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Côte d’Ivoire that hosted the recent AFCON and the Amahoro stadium in Kigali Rwanda, we have done a cost analysis and I can tell Kenyans this stadium is cheaper compared to those stadiums,” said Namwamba.
The Cabinet Secretary also stated that the refurbishment progress of Kasarani Stadium stands at 30%, with the anticipated completion date set for December of this year.
Initially, the government had considered erecting the stadium in Shanzu, Mombasa. However, the Cabinet Secretary later revealed that arrangements are now underway to build a facility in Mombasa.
Speaking on behalf of the Kenya Defence Forces, the CS for Defence Aden Duale affirmed that the project would be completed as per the timelines of AFCON 2027.
President Ruto pledged to strategically and vigorously invest in the revitalization of sports facilities, aiming to position Kenya as a hub for sports development and competition on regional, continental, and global scales.
“The Talanta Sports City represents our determination in action to connect our youth to meaningful opportunities to explore their talent, train in modern facilities, and work with us towards winning the games we shall engage in.”Said Ruto.
He also urged the Kenyan National team Harambee Stars to raise the Kenyan flag high during the games. He pledged to supervise the construction of the facility every three months until its completion.