High ranking retired athletes from the larger Nandi have opposed the move by the County Government to convert the Kipchoge Keino Stadium into a public parking lot in Kapsabet town.
Speaking after commenting at an event organized by the Nandi County Assembly, they have said they will not allow the stadium to be demolished and misused as it has a long and rich history in the world of athletics.
In addition, the athletes say they were able to put Kenya on the world map after participating and winning in various competitions and Kenya boasted many medals due to the clean air that is satisfactory for training at the stadium.
They have also threatened to go to court if the Nandi County Government is able to implement the plan, saying it will be a blow to budding athletes in the country.
However, the public opinion may fall into the defiant Nandi County officials led by chairman Silas Sum who said that whether they support or not the Nandi government’s plan into a market and a parking lot for public vehicles, as well as the Kapsabet agricultural exhibition ground to be allocated to the government’s affordable housing project and the Kapsabet agricultural exhibition to be relocated to the ATC Kaimosi farmers’ training college.
Other names like Edwin Arap Koech, Fatuel Kimaiyo Arap Serem and Christopher Kipketer Arap Melly, put Kenya on the world map by participating and winning various competitions that led the nation to boast many medals including gold in the field races due to the clean air of the Kipchoge Keino training ground and if they are removed it will be a blow to young athletes.
They have threatened to go to court if the Nandi government implements the plan. The situation escalated when some people who appeared to support the bill were thrown out of the meeting.