Kenya: The Government of Kenya pledged to continue forging close partnerships with county governments. The Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports spoke to the Marsabit county administration. He pledged the government’s support to the Marsabit Governor in developing the Marsabit stadium.
According to the ministry, The collaborations aim to improve the state of stadia across the counties. This cooperation will ensure that the ministry achieves its goal to develop and upgrade the status of various sporting facilities across the country.
CS Ababu made these remarks on October 23, 2023. At the time, he was leading a team from his ministry to inspect the Marsabit Stadium, Marsabit County. They were received by the County Governor, Mohamud Ali, alongside other county government officials.
CS Namwamba added that his ministry was on a mission to improve sporting infrastructure in Kenya. He also added that this was a cause guided by the Sports Infrastructure Masterplan, which provides a scientifically established guide on the kind of facilities to be developed.
“We are ending the haphazard development of sporting facilities in the country. We want to ensure that every facility we develop returns value for the taxpayers’ money invested. In this regard, the Sports Infrastructure Masterplan provides a detailed guide on what kind of stadium to build, where to build it, & the value Kenyans will derive from such investments.”
He added, “We have mapped out various upgrades & development of sporting infrastructure, classified into international standard stadia, Regional Stadia and community grounds.”
The CS assured the County Governor that his ministry would partner with the county to ensure that Marsabit Stadium was upgraded. Meanwhile, he also added that work would start immediately.
The Governor lauded the Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba on his hands-on approach to sports matters. He called it a reason for the turnaround witnessed in the sporting industry.
He assured the Cabinet Secretary that his government would partner with the ministry to deliver a proper stadium for the people of Marsabit.
Further, the two leaders agreed that work would commence immediately to complete the development’s first phase in the next 4-5 weeks. The renovations and upgrades will be done in two steps, with the first being the completion of terraces, improvement of the playing turf, completion of a car park, and rehabilitation of the VIP pavilion.
The second phase of the renovation will include the laying of a canopy all around the stadium and the installation of seats.
The Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund CEO Nuh Ibrahim, Sports Kenya Chair Peter Gitau, and Director-General Pius Metto, among other officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, accompanied the Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to the Marsabit county.