NAIROBI, Kenya, November 17- A stadium management and security expert will arrive in Kenya on Thursday for meetings with key stakeholders among them the Minister of Youth and Sport.
Jim MacDonald who is an event Security Management specialist from the G4S United Kingdom office is expected to conduct a nationwide audit of a number of public stadiums over an eight day period.
McDonald will examine, counsel and recommended solutions for event security management in support of the Kenya Premier League (KPL), Sports Stadia Management Board and the Football Kenya Limited (FKL).
This follows the tragedy on 23rd of October where seven football fans, including a young woman, died when a stampede broke out at the Nyayo National Stadium during the Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards match.
In the United Kingdom, G4S provides match day security for numerous top flight clubs with attendances of up to 52,000. G4S also secures high profile events such as the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and Superstar concerts at the O2 Arena.
“With that in mind, we are uniquely positioned to provide some thought leadership in reviewing stadiums used for KPL games and providing a safety assessment and action plan”, said Managing Director G4S Kenya John Wheater.
On completion of the review G4S will develop an event security proposal for consideration by the KPL and hold an event security master class for stakeholders. G4S will also share key guidelines on crowd safety based on the UK Guide for Safety at Sports Grounds.
MacDonald has organised all aspects of security for numerous music festivals since 1996 with up to 95,000 people attending.
He has also been instrumental in organising the UK’s most prestigious horse race, Aintree Grand National (that averages a 75,000 capacity), for six years.
MacDonald also involved with arranging all levels of security for the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, Wales which was won by Europe.
Football clubs that Jim has been involved include Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian.
In addition Jim has been brought into Manchester United and Manchester City to assist with the safety of spectators during large events.
