KISUMU, Kenya, January 4- The dilapidated Kisumu Stadium should be ready to host some CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup matches at the end of the year following major renovation work expected to start soon.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman, Sam Nyamweya, who toured the facility on Wednesday told reporters they were in the process of identifying a contractor to carry out the Sh143m overhaul of the stadium.
World governing body FIFA has committed Sh100m while the Government has set aside the balance for the project that according to Nyamweya should be complete by October in time for the regional championships slated for late November to early December.
“When we went to Fifa, we told President Blatter about the state of our stadiums that are in pathetic conditions including Kisumu and Mombasa and he agreed we start with Kisumu so that it can be built to international standards,” Nyamweya said.
He added: “Money has already been given and Fifa has gone further and brought the man in charge of building the stadium and now, he is going through the architectural designs and in the next few months we shall appoint a contractor.”
Under the aid, the FKF boss disclosed the world governing body had committed Sh40.3m ($500,000) to the restoration works of Kisumu and Mombasa stadiums.
At the moment, only Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium and to some extent the Astroturf City Stadium a few kilometres away are capable of hosting international matches.
Renovation work on the Moi International Sports Centre Complex at Kasarani that is funded by the Chinese and Kenyan governments is still going on months behind the mid last year schedule for completion.
Kenya won the right to stage the regional tournament at the CECAFA Conference that preceded the Challenge Cup won by Uganda in Dar-es-Salaam last month.
