County Gov’t in race to complete Gusii Stadium in time for KICOSCA Games

Barely a week after Kisii County earned the nod to host the sixth edition of Kenya Inter County Sports and Cultural Association (KICOSCA), pressure is now  mounting on the County Government to finish the renovation works at the Gusii Stadium ahead of the competitions slated for August 12- 18 this year.

In an interview with Citizen Digital, the County Minister for Sports Duke Mainga said that preparations are in top gear to ensure that they beat the August deadline.

Mainga also said that they have initiated talks with the national government in a bid to get more support to enable them complete the work in time.

Mainga’s sentiments come in the wake of hue and cry from members of the public and section of sportsmen from the region who have pointed an accusing finger at the county for dilly-dallying on the work.

“We’re currently uprooting all the grass and working on landscaping as we work on the perimeter wall and the track. All this will be done in the shortest time possible,” he said. “I am personally supervising the project to ensure that we move in speed.”

The county sports executive however said a lot of money may be needed to ensure that the stadium is built to the FIFA standards.

“We need more funding because if we look at Kinoru Stadium in Meru County and other major stadia in the country, they are getting a lot of financial assistance from the national government and that is why I have made frequent visits to the Treasury…,” he added.

Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta made a promise that funds would be availed for the county to renovate the stadium, and Mainga’s frequent trips to the capital has been aimed at fulfilling this purpose even though he admits progress has been slow.

A fortnight ago Sports Principal Secretary Ambassador Kirimi Kaberia gave a directive that any county planning to build a stadium should first get the standards from the Ministry and Mainga maintains that the necessary procedures will be followed to the letter.

In the golden days gone by, Gusii was known for its sports prowess moreso with Shabana FC being the focal point but that is no longer the case with Mainga citing lack of proper standard sports facilities as some of contributing factors.

On completion, Mainga is upbeat that the facility will be of desirable quality that would match Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega, the 15,000 seater Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos, Kinoru Stadium in Meru and the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Uasin Gishu county.