NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 1 – For most host nations of major sporting events, the biggest worry has always been the aftermath and what happens to the mega facilities constructed to host the masses.
Kenya will co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with neighbors Uganda and Tanzania and on Friday, President William Ruto broke ground for a new 60,000-seater stadium, which will be one of two primary hosts for the event.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has assured that his Ministry has in mind the aftermath of the 2027 AFCON to ensure the facility remains a core part of Kenya’s sporting infrastructure.
“We have thought beyond AFCON 2027. We have imagined revenues from this stadium including naming rights as well as a professional management to turn this into an economic hub. This is a legacy project that helps deliver in the Bottom Up Economic Transformative Agenda (BETA),” the CS noted.
The stadium has been tailored to host football matches, but can also be tweaked to host rugby as well as mega concerts, without affecting the state of the playing surface.
Already, Namwamba, as well as Football Kenya federation (FKF) boss Ababu Namwamba have both confirmed that this will be the designate home venue for the national team Harambee Stars.
“We have curated this stadium to hand Kenyan teams the much-needed 12th man advantage. It ticks all FIFA and CAF requirements and is a tech savvy stadium designed for top level TV broadcast and is comparable to the very best in the world,” Ababu further noted.
Meanwhile, the CS has noted that the construction of the stadium will cost much less than what the Allasanne Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan as well as the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali cost, despite the fact they are almost similar in nature.
He has thanked his colleagues in cabinet and by extension President William Ruto for the support they have offered since the project began with consultations six months ago.
Meanwhile, Ababu has challenged the FKF to ensure they prepare a formidable Harambee Stars whose performances will match what is expected of the new stadium.
“We can’t build something like this then we end up being knocked out in the preliminaries. We are also investing in the long term development of Harambee Stars, one that will not only participate but compete effectively against Africa’s best,” noted Ababu.
FKF boss Mwendwa who also spoke at the launch, said they will ensure they prepare a strong national team, which will be able to make it beyond the group stage.
