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The President said he is waiting for a masterplan from Sports CS Ababu Namwamba before swinging into action
President William Ruto has promised to improve the state of stadiums in the country after years of empty promises from past regimes.
Ruto, who has been criticised in the past for making pronouncement regarding quick completion of stadiums, which never happened, during his 10-year stint as Deputy President under former President Uhuru Kenyatta, says he will not run away from the responsibility now that he is in charge.
The Head of State says he is waiting for a report from Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba about how stadia will be improved in the country before swinging into action.
“I have been blamed a lot on stadiums, now you will ask me about stadiums and I will answer because I am in charge,” Ruto said while speaking to the media on Sunday night.
“I have plan and I have told Ababu Namwamba to come up with a masterplan. You will see a big difference and already, we are doing something about our stadia.
“We are going to invest in the infrastructure, we are also going to invest in the training in the positive profiling of sports.”
Kenya currently does not have a stadium that meets international standards after Kasarani and Nyayo were banned by Confederation of African Football (CAF) for not meeting the conditions. Facilities in counties also remain in dilapidated states despite a huge outlay of funds over the years.
With Kenya set to bid for the hosting rights of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, alongside neighbours Tanzania and Uganda, stadia is their main headache and it remains to be seen whether the current regime will be any different.
Ruto also expressed his desire to see Kenyan sports events, including football leagues televised, as away of bringing sports closer to the people as well as generating revenue.
“I am going to talk to KBC, CA (Communication Authority) and various sponsors so that we bring back the televising of all our sports, tournaments and leagues and provide additional resources so that we create the unity,” he added.
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