Ruto calls for diligence as Talanta Sports City construction begins

President William Ruto has called for diligence in the construction of the Talanta Sports Stadium, as he presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of the facility on Friday.

The event took place at the the Jamhuri Grounds along Ngong Road - Nairobi.

The 60,000-capacity stadium is one of the host venues earmarked for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The President said he expected nothing but perfect work in the project, saying he will be inspecting it personally.

“I have agreed with the Ministries of Sports and Defence that this stadium will be built to world class standards, using military discipline. I will therefore expect our defense team – Aden Duale and the CDF to make sure that all the timelines we have agreed are kept by the contractor. I also expect that there will be supervision every week and every two weeks, and I will be here nyself every three months until this facility is completed,” the President firmly said.  

He 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.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Football Kenya Federation boss Nick Mwendwa among other dignitaries flanked the President during the ceremony.

Duale and Namwamba embraced the call to dutifully oversee the project set to be completed by December 2025.

“We have made efforts to compare the cost of this project with other similar projects in Africa and I can assure the people of Kenya that compared to projects like the Allasane Quatara in Abidjan Ivory Coast which hosted the recent African Cup of Nations, the Kigali Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda – this project is cheaper than all those stadiums.

“We have already imagined what should be done in other facilities across the country. Kasarani is already under renovation as part of AFCON hosting preparations. In fact I’m happy to report that Ksarani is at 30 percent of refurbishment, and by December this year, we will be inviting the President to officially open the refurbished Kasarani Stadium,” said Ababu.

On his part, Duale assured the Kenya Defense Forces will manage the project to the best possible standards.

“General Ogolla, the vice Chief of Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Mwangi, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Njiru and our PS we are here under your (President) instructions just as project managers. We assure before the contractor that all will be done and the timelines be met for AFCON 2027,” Duale affirmed.

The construction of the project was approved by the Cabinet in October 2023 as part of Kenya's commitment to hosting the 38th edition of the continental tournament. The Kenya Defence Forces has been tasked with overseeing the construction of the project, soon after its approval.

KDF is also overseeing the refurbishment of Moi Kasarani Stadium and the development of Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, which are also part of the 2027 AFCON plan.

"I have been at the federation for about seven years, and for the one year since the current government came into the office, has been bigger for us than the entire seven years because all our national teams are taken seriously. Harambee Stars has been playing big friendlies and we are working with the Ministry of Sports every day to ensure Harambee Stars will be ready," he noted, adding the Talanta Sports City will be among the continent.