President of Kenya William Ruto on Friday cut the sod for the construction of Talanta Sports Stadium at the Jamhuri grounds on Ngong Road in Nairobi.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday cut the sod at Borteyman in the Greater Accra Region for the construction of sports infrastructure to host the 13th African Games 2023 in Accra.
He says the 60,000-capacity Stadium will be equipped with facilities in accordance with International standards capable of hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and any International competition.
The construction of the project was approved by the Cabinet in October 2023 as part of Kenya’s commitment in hosting the 38th edition of the continental showpiece.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Ruto said: “I have agreed with the ministries, and that is why the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Defence are also represented here because we want this stadium to be built to world-class standard using military discipline.
“I will expect our defense team, Aden Duale, the CDF, and the team to make sure all the timelines we have agreed are kept by the contractor and I expect that there will be supervision every week, every two weeks and I will be here myself every three months until this facility is completed.”
President Ruto was quick to point out that the same zeal will be applied in all the other facilities needed for the 2027 AFCON.
“To get to the top of the global sport and creativity, we have to start at the bottom, right down to the foundation which is infrastructure development. That is why this groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Talanta Sports City is another step up the ladder of our bottom-up transformation agenda.
“Renovations at Kasarani, Nyayo, Bukhungu, Kipchoge Keino Stadium will be done concurrently with this, and we are seriously considering another stadium in Mombasa. We will find a place in Mombasa to do a good stadium,” added the President.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) were tasked with overseeing the construction of the project. The Talanta Sports City Stadium is expected to be operational by the end of 2025, offering ample preparation time ahead of the AFCON 2027 event.
By: Pascal Amoah
