Kericho at standstill as thousands attend Mashujaa Day fete

Thousands of Kenyans from all walks of life thronged Kericho Green Stadium in Kericho on Friday for this year's Mashujaa Day celebrations. 

Crowds began to pour into the stadium from 1am.

Several people were hospitalised following a stampede at Gate C of the stadium.

The injured, including a minor, were taken to Kericho County Referral Hospital for treatment. 

President William Ruto is expected to arrive at the stadium at around 10 am to lead the country in the  celebrations. 

The stadium, which has been undergoing upgrades for the past 45 days at a cost of over Sh400 million by the national government, has a seating capacity of 10,000, according to Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba. 

The lack of accommodation meant most fans had to sacrifice sleep to attend the ceremony, the first to be held in Kericho County under the rotation system, with only Narok County in the South Rift having hosted a national event before.

“We partied in a local club the whole night as we did not want to lose the opportunity to be part of the celebrations. That is why we are some of the first people to arrive at the stadium at 1am where we found a group had already lined up to be cleared,” said Mr Patrick Kirui, a resident of Gelegele in the neighbouring Bomet County. 

Ms Gladys Chepngeno, a resident of Kunyak in Kipkelion West Constituency, Kericho County, said she travelled to the town on Thursday evening and slept in a Nissan matatu with nine of her village mates to ensure they were not locked out of the stadium. 

By 4.30am, thousands of residents had been allowed into the stadium by security guards manning the three gates -- A, B and C. 

Most of the city's hotels, which used to close early, operated overnight to take advantage of the business opportunities in the county.

Bars and clubs operated day and night in Kericho town and neighbouring commercial centres, with the laws of the Liquor Licensing Board temporarily overlooked by operators during the celebrations. 

“We are opening 24 hours on Thursday and Friday to ensure the high number of visitors to Kericho town have food and drinks,” Mr Newton Ombula, a manager at the Modern Sunshine Hotel on Tengecha Lane, told the Nation on Friday morning.

A contingent of police officers guarded the stadium overnight to ensure there were no incidents, and they were handed over to their colleagues in a rotating shift on Friday morning.

“There is adequate security with officers deployed at the stadium, all corners of the Kericho town and on the highways to control motorists and control human traffic,” said Dr Abdi Hassan, the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner.

He added: “Local and international guests as well as the residents are assured of security during the celebrations. We have enough officers on the ground.”

Kericho Governor Erick Mutai on Thursday said there was a shortage of rooms in local hotels and nightclubs due to the large number of people coming from across the country for the celebrations.

“Hotels in the county have a bed capacity of 700 with the majority of the visitors having slept in neighbouring counties of Bomet, Kericho, Nakuru, Kisumu and Narok as a result,” said Dr Mutai.

“This is an eye-opener to the business community and potential investors that there are huge opportunities in the hospitality industry which needs to be tapped into as Kericho town is growing after a slump in business over the years.”

Mr Bett of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry said almost all hospitality facilities in the town had been upgraded ahead of the Mashujaa Day celebrations, with prices rising accordingly.

“Residents have also taken advantage of the windfall in business by converting their residential houses and homes into temporary rental facilities to accommodate the high human traffic and rise in the number of local tourists seeking accommodation,” he said.

Ms Caroline Koskei, a resident, said she had rented out her three-bedroom house for Sh12,000 per night to a group of executives from a corporate institution for the past week.

“I am currently operating from my home in Litein, Bureti Constituency, after giving out my house along Kisumu Road for Sh84,000. I never dreamt of earning such an amount of money from my house. I am sure some local hotels did not earn that kind of money for the entire period,” said Ms Koskei.

Business premises have been spruced up with paint, furniture in hotels and bars has been replaced, while makeshift kiosks have been demolished in parts of the town, particularly near Kericho Green Stadium.

Kenya Power engineers worked overnight to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the stadium ahead of the official opening of the gates.