Tana residents to pay an extra Sh50 million for stadium

Taxpayers in Tana River County will have to an extra Sh50 million before they can have the stadium they were promised.

This is after the county government allocated the extra funds for the completion of the facility bringing the entire cost of the project to Sh79 million.

However, the additional funds also bring about a change of tune from the County administration, which now claims that the stadium was to be constructed in two phases.

According to Tana Finance Executive Mathew Babwoya, Sh10 million will go towards settling the contractor for works done in the first phase, bringing the total amount paid so far for the project to Sh39 million.

"The report, I have from the project manager and the chief officer is that the second phase is about to begin and will capture all that has not been done including having a perimeter wall," he said.

However, this contradicts earlier statements by the Education and Sports executive Abbas Kunyo concerning the project.

In an interview with nation.africa in May 2020, Mr Abass said the Sh39 million captured the construction of a dais, laying of grass, drainage, a water reservoir, a basketball court, a perimeter wall, and landscaping.

Mr Abass revealed that the administration was concerned by the project's slow construction pace, given that they had anticipated its completion within the 2019-2020 financial year.

"We are only left with Sh10 million to pay, but the pace at which this work has been going is not satisfactory. Nothing seems to be moving in as much as we are paying according to the advice of our engineers on the ground," he said.

However, Mr Abass noted that according to the latest information, the stadium was 70 percent done, with only the perimeter wall, the dias, and changing rooms left to be done.

The sports executive told the nation.africa that the contractor had since created the drainage system with an underground discharge route, a running and exercise track field.

However, things on the ground were contrary to the narrative the administration had been fed, as there existed no track field.

The stadium that is barely 40 percent done has so far consumed a whooping Sh29 million despite the lapse in time for the project.

So far only the drainage, a water reservoir, and the grass have been done.

Acting Chairman of the Football Kenya Federation Said Illu has since flagged down the project terming it substandard.

According to Mr Illu, the ground has not met the FKF standards for an eleven aside match as it is too small and poorly measured.

"If you asked me, all we have is a playing field and not a stadium, it's good for training but can't host a serious match," he said.

At the start of the 2018-2019 financial year, Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana promised locals an upgrade of 14 playing grounds, each situated in their respective wards.

Each ward was allocated Sh10 million for the playing grounds which were to harbor modern goal posts, natural grass, a water reservoir, and a standard dias.

However, none of the 14wards has anything of the sort to this moment despite contracts having been assigned and paid for some of the playing grounds.

Residents are left wondering whether whatever they have been seeing is the promise already delivered.

What stands by the field of some of the playing grounds witnessed by nation.africa are resting sheds, with bare ground and bush around the ground having been cleared.

The hyped Hola stadium is expected to be complete by June 2022.