Kenya's Afcon 2027 dream alive as Talanta Sports City works begin

President William Ruto Friday led a ground-breaking ceremony for the Talanta Sports City Stadium at Lang’ata Constituency in Nairobi County as part of the country's preparations to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations (Afcon). 

Kenya will co-host the continental showpiece alongside neighbours Uganda and Tanzania.

This will be the first time the Kenyan government will be building an international standards stadium since 1987. Kenya’s second President Daniel Arap Moi’s regime in partnership with the Government of China built Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani from scratch in 1987.

President Moi’s government also built Nyayo National Stadium from scratch in 1983. The successive governments of President Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, despite promising construction of new sports facilities including a stadium, didn’t meet their end of the bargain for the combined 20 years they ruled the country.

Therefore, the ground-breaking event for the construction of Talanta Sports City is a landmark moment for the country which will finally have a modern stadium after decades of waiting. 

Talanta Sports City will have a capacity of 60,000 people and is expected to be ready by December 2025. The stadium will have outdoor training facilities, a standard athletics track, standard football field and a shared rugby field.

The arena will have a height of 54 metres and a parking capacity of 3,000 vehicles. Even though the cost of the whole project has not been revealed by the government, it will be undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The Chinese company, which has its headquarters in Beijing, was responsible for the construction of the 472 km-long Nairobi-Mombasa Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), and Nairobi Expressway. 

It's one of the largest subsidiaries of the Fortune Global 500 company, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) 

The Ministry of Defence will supervise the project together with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative economy and Sports to deliver it within the set timelines. 

Apart from the Talanta Sports City, Kasarani and Kipchoge Keino are also set to undergo renovations since they will be used as training grounds by teams participating in Afcon.    

The renovation of Kasarani has been ongoing since January when it was closed. Sports CS Ababu Namwamba has since visited the venue once to assess the progress of the renovation works. 

The ongoing renovations at Kasarani has forced local football clubs to move their league matches to Nyayo National Stadium and Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County.

However,  renovation works have not started at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret but the government has always insisted there should be no cause for alarm as the project is budgeted for. 

President Ruto said his government is committed to investing intensively and strategically to upgrade various sports facilities, including the comprehensive renovation of the Kasarani Stadium.

“It is our intention to make Afcon 2027 a memorable continental showpiece, and we are literally working around the clock. If you visit the Kasarani Stadium, work is underway on a 24-hour basis to ensure that renovations are completed to a high standard by next year, well in advance of the Afcon,” said President Ruto. 

The Head of State added that his regime is focused on improving sports infrastructure and will also work with counties to develop facilities like the Joe Kadenge Stadium in the outskirts of the capital.

“Our journey to turn Kenya into a global sporting powerhouse is firmly underway. The Talanta Sports City represents our determination in action to connect our youth to meaningful opportunities and elevate their God-given talents to a source of national pride,” noted President Ruto.

“Evidently, Afcon 2027 is just the beginning of our nation's endeavor to become a regional, continental and global center for sports development and competition,” he added. 

Others who spoke during the event are Namwamba, his defence counterpart Aden Duale, Chairman of National Assembly Sports and Culture Committee Dan Wanyama and outgoing Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa.

Namwamba outlined the strides the Kenya Kwanza government has made in sports since coming to power after the August 2022 General Elections while Duale assured the President that the project will be completed on time.

"The speed with which we have turned the sports in this country is encouraging. With meticulous planning, we have spent six months to conceive what promises to be an iconic landmark,” said Namwamba.

“On behalf of KDF, we are the project managers and will ensure with the contractor that all will be done and the times will be maintained as per the Afcon 2027 schedule,” said Duale.

Wanyama called for proper preparations for the national team, Harambee Stars so that they can be among the title contenders for Afcon 2027.

“What is critical is the time to prepare our teams well and we should see Harambee Stars in the final going forward,” said the Webuye West MP.