Monday, May 27, 2024 - Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has blamed former President Uhuru Kenyatta for the deplorable state of stadiums in the country.
Speaking while inspecting the construction of Bukhungu Stadium, Namwamba
stated that sports facilities in the country have been neglected for over 40
years.
He further explained that following the poor state of the
facilities in the country, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had been forced
to organize a World Cup qualifier for Harambee Stars in Malawi.
“For a long time, Kenya neglected sports facilities. There has been no serious investment in sports facilities for a long time.
"Nyayo was
left and neglected for many years, Kasarani and even attempts to build new
facilities, was just a joke,” stated Namwamba.
The CS further explained that despite several stadiums in
the country being called international stadiums, they failed to meet the
standards specified by FIFA.
However, Namwamba had earlier promised Kenyans that through
the government's efforts to rehabilitate the stadiums, Nyayo Stadium would be
renovated to the required standard to enable it to host games in June 2024.
Despite this promise, the government has decided to have the
national team host matches in Malawi, a development that has seen flak
directed at the government over lack of preparedness and foresight.
The announcement by CS Namwamba follows an incident on Friday,
where Kenyan athletes threatened to boycott the upcoming Olympic trials if the
event is not held at a World Athletics-certified venue.
Athletics Kenya (AK) is faced with the challenge of where to
host the Olympics trials, slated from June 14-15, since Nyayo and Kasarani
stadiums, the only two World Athletics-accredited venues in the country, are
currently closed for renovation.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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