Eldoret: The Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Sports Elijah Mwangi, has affirmed the government's commitment to upgrade Kipchoge Stadium to the best standards possible to ensure the athletes in the region enjoy the same training experience as they do when they are taking part in competitions in other stadiums outside the country.
According to Kenya News Agency, the PS spoke during an inspection tour while accompanied by the Defence PS Dr. Patrick Mariru to check on the progress status of the upgrade works at Kipchoge Stadium in Eldoret. He said the Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Defence to see that the desired upgrade is completed within the stipulated period of 15 months as per the contract. He raised concern over the current status, noting that more could have been done by now.
PS, however, acknowledged some inherent challenges because there were some demolitions on the northern and southern terraces, which were deemed substandard. 'There are some parameters and non-destructive tests that have been done to establish the durability of the western terrace. The results will be out next week and the work will continue. The works are good and we expect more than this,' noted the Sports PS.
He emphasized the need to speed up the competition of crucial infrastructure necessary for the athletes to triumph in various competitions. 'We are lagging behind in terms of provision of infrastructure that will be needed and we want to catch up. They need this stadium to train for both local and international events. We don't have the luxury of time, considering that we have talents who are meant to use these stadiums to boost their talents,' he added.
PS Mwangi mentioned that Kipchoge Stadium will be used to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2026 together with the Eldoret 64 stadium, whose construction is also in progress. 'We give commitment to the athletes from this region that the government of President William Ruto is committed to seeing to it that they get the right infrastructure for them to train such that they will be able to compete together with other athletes with similar infrastructure outside the country,' said PS Mwangi.
PS Mwangi commended the majority of the athletes from the region who make Kenya proud through their talents, such as the recent world record breakers Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet. The Defence PS affirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking supervision of the works.
'We are now expecting the simultaneous construction from all the sides from the North to the South and East and West. The contractor has assured us that within one month all the pillars will be up, as they have already been marked. They are also doing realignment of the pillars and undemolished terraces,' said PS Dr. Mariru. Noting that the Ministry would be conducting monthly inspection visits, the PS instructed the contractor to stick to the 15-month commitment to ensure the stadium is delivered on time.
'Whatever will be done, be it doing both day and night shifts or increasing the workforce, we need this stadium on time,' he added. The contractor was advised to divide the works into quarterly milestones so as to ensure easy assessment and hence speed up the works.
After the upgrade works, which include enhancing technical and aesthetic features, installing a canopy and fixed seats, completing the VIP area, and upgrading the VIP lounge with new fittings and additional construction, Kipchoge Stadium will have an enhanced capacity of 15,671 seats from the current 9,248 seats, making it the largest in the region.