Kenya is constructing a new sports stadium with the capacity of holding 60,000 audience at a time. The sports complexes ‘Talanta Sports Stadium’ and ‘Kasarani Stadium’ are being built in Nairobi, ahead of 2027 AFCON tournament, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
President William Ruto officially inaugurated the ground-breaking ceremony of the 60,000-seater sports arena, and is set to be completed by the year December 2025. The facilities have been earmarked to host the tournament together with Kasarani and Nyayo sports stadiums.
As per the Confederation of African Football (CAF) requirements, AFCON hosts must have six stadiums in readiness for the tournament. Uganda and Tanzania, which are equally moving with speed if the progress of the refurbishment of some of the selected venues such as Namboole and Benjamin Mkapa Stadiums is anything to go by.
Reportedly, with the commitment and political goodwill the three nations have received from their Presidents William Ruto of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, the region which is poised to stage a historic event in 2027.
Talanta Sports City, is the first-ever modern facility that is to be built in the country in decades, since the construction of Kasarani and Nyayo, which will be equipped with a standardised athletics track, football and rugby fields.
Considering this, President Ruto said, “I am delighted to be here with you as we break ground for the construction of the Talanta Sports City, a transformative project that is designed to redefine the nation’s sporting profile and deliver an iconic facility and the infrastructural development legacy for the city and for the nation.”
He added that AFCON 2027 is just the beginning of the country’s endeavour to become a regional, continental and global centre for sports development and competition.
“To get here, we are committed to invest intensively and strategically to upgrade various sports facilities, including the comprehensive renovation of the Kasarani Stadium, and also the construction of new modern premises and amenities,” said President Ruto.
Notably, construction of the football-customised top-tech green masterpiece will be officially supervised by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). It came barely a few months after Kasarani, which is the largest facility in the country and was closed for renovations in December 2023, as the East Africa region prepares to stage the 2027 AFCON.