NAIROBI, Kenya, January 30, 2026 – Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has assured that the Talanta Stadium will soon be officially renamed the Raila Amollo Odinga International Stadium.
Tuya says the name change is on course, adding that the 60,000-seater facility is an opportunity to show the government’s seriousness under President William Ruto.
“The process is on course as per the directive of His Excellency the President…and we are really looking forward to another show by Kenya to the world that we are serious under the leadership of His Excellency the President with all the infrastructure support that we are offering to the sports fraternity. Kenya again will be on the spotlight globally with the hosting of AFCON, God willing, in 2027,” the CS said.
During last year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations, President Ruto said the stadium will be named after the former Prime Minister, who had earlier passed away in October.
This was in response to earlier request from various quarters, including Homa Bay governor Gladys Wanga and her Nairobi counterpart, Johnson Sakaja.
The stadium is currently undergoing construction by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) along Ngong Road, under the supervision of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
It is expected to host various matches of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, along with the 48,000-seater Kasarani Stadium.
Tuya said the whole of Kenyan government is fully immersed in the preparations for the continental competition to ensure its success.
“Beside the Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Defence, we have a whole team at both the technical and ministerial level dealing with the Ministry of Roads, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Water and ICT. All these teams coming together to ensure that we have finished products in the infrastructure that we are working on in preparation for AFCON,” she said.
Tuya added: “I am very impressed by the progress that we have seen with Raila Odinga Talanta Stadium, where we are at 85 per cent completion. We give an assurance to Kenyans that we are going to guard the hosting rights for AFCON 2027 very close to heart by ensuring that all the stadia, the training pitches that are supposed to conform to the requisite standards are going to be delivered on time.”
Kenya will co-host the competition with neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, following on from last year’s Africa Nations Championships (CHAN).
It will be the first time for a tournament of such magnitude to be hosted in the East Africa region.
