The National Government is poised to take over the construction of Mombasa Municipal Stadium in Mombasa County following deliberations that now given the greenlight to the Ministry of Sports and Defense to take charge of the works in the 15,000-seater facility.
The Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir held talks with Principal Secretary for Sports Elijah Mwangi and Defence PS Patrick Mariru over the modalities of taking over the project that has been under construction since 2015.
Key among the issues in the engagement between the two levels of government were talks were the technicalities of taking over a project with an active contract as well as the assessment of works done which is estimated to be at 40 percent.
The governor stated that the county government would receive the final accounts of the project to ascertain the cost of the project to date as well as the percentage of works done within a week to pave way for the national government to bring onboard a new contractor.
“We are receiving the final accounts within a week which will allow for the national government’s team to come in and take over the construction works,” he said.
The Sports PS Elijah Mwangi said the 15,000-seater facility, once complete, will meet the required standards to host international sporting tournaments thereby making the stadium one of the identified venue for Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) matches in 2027.
The PS stated that Mombasa County government was developing other facilities that can be utilized as training facilities while the Mombasa Stadium will be used as an alternative venue for AFCON matches.
“This stadium is a perfect low-altitude venue for matches outside the Nairobi City facilities. With the county building more stadiums, this facility can aptly work as a venue for AFCON matches and we will ask for CAF concurrence on the same,” said the PS.
He added that the facility would accelerate the growth of Mombasa County as a sports tourism hub while positioning this coastal city as home of talent development initiatives in Coast region.
The construction of this project is expected to be completed within one year. Once done, Mombasa County will have the biggest and most advanced sports facility in Coast region.
Mombasa Stadium was last used in 2015 with the facility hosting an exciting game between Gor Mahia and Bandari with the former winning with a goal. Since then, the facility has been under construction with prolonged delays in-between.
With the take-over by the national government, the attention now shifts to the construction progress as the state rushes to complete this facility before the commencement of AFCON next year.
PS Mwangi pointed out that this was one of the priority stadium under the presidential directive to establish stadium as part of accelerated sports development initiative.
“This stadium is at the heart of presidential directive to develop and grow sports in coast region. The government is transforming sports through full commercialization, talent development and anchoring sports as a key enabler in Kenya’s economic transformation,” he said.
The Mombasa Stadium is slotted to have a presidential pavilion, a canopy, standard football pitch, changing rooms, advanced security systems, lighting and sound systems among other features.
Defence PS Patrick Mariru said the project which was being undertaken by KDF would be delivered on time and would meet the highest standards.
“This is a unique stadium with unique design. We will build on it and deliver it within the timelines,” he said