Nyeri: Budding sports talents in Othaya Constituency will soon benefit from a state-of-the-art facility, following the commissioning of a 700-capacity stadium by Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki. The stadium is one of the projects that President Dr William Ruto promised to deliver to the residents during his developmental tour of the Central Region in April this year.
According to Kenya News Agency, the facility is being constructed at a cost of Sh 55 million. The contractor has stated that it will take four months to complete. The stadium will feature a standard football pitch with natural grass and four multi-purpose courts, which will be utilised for volleyball, basketball, tennis, and handball. Additionally, there will be an athletics track and an indoor multi-purpose hall for hosting meetings, fine arts theatre performances, and indoor games.
Speaking in Nyeri when he accompanied the Deputy President for the groundbreaking ceremony, Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said that besides nurturing local sports talents, the facility will act as a platform for building the country’s talent scouting network. Scouts will be able to identify and recruit top talents from the constituency. ‘The government’s manifesto has given consideration for talents ranging from sports to music and many others. Through such initiatives, scouts will now be able to visit counties, identify talents in different disciplines, and sign up the budding athletes into national leagues where they can start to make money from their skills,’ stated the CS.
Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, who was also present during the event, cautioned contractors working to uplift various sports infrastructure in the country to international standards against delivering shoddy work. He also asked the contractors to ensure that they deliver complete stadiums in time, as the Ministry will not be granting time extensions at the lapse of the agreed timelines. ‘I want to caution contractors who have given us the commitment that the various stadiums we are constructing will be complete and that there will be no extension,’ said Mwangi.
