Kericho Green Stadium making a name in sports
The playing surface at Kericho Green Stadium in this photo taken on April 21, 2022. The stadium was reopened in 2019 after a Sh90-million refurbishment. More work is expected to be done on the stadium to turn it into one of the biggest in the country that can host major sporting events.
What you need to know:
- The stadium was opened for use on June 20, 2019 after the initial upgrade.
Kericho Green Stadium holds one distinction. It is the first county-owned stadium to have a tartan running track laid by the parent county, in this case Kericho.
The county has pumped in Sh90 million to upgrade the foremost sports facility in the region that has a capacity of 27,000.
Athletes train at Kericho Green Stadium in this photo taken on April 21, 2022.
The stadium was opened for use on June 20, 2019 after the initial upgrade.
A raft of recommendations to raise the standards of the stadium even higher have been proposed by the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare chaired by the Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.
Members of the committee including Senators Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho), Stewarts Madzayo (Kilifi), Alice Milgo (nominated) and Sakaja have commended Governor Paul Chepkwony’s administration for setting the standards for other counties in the country, in development and upgrade of sports facilities.
It was recommended that world class changing rooms be constructed at the stadium to enable a higher number of players to use during national, regional and local competitions.
The committee wants drainage be improved to ensure water does not flood the track and the pitches.
When the envisaged improvements are complete Kericho Green Stadium will have a capacity of 40,000, making it the second biggest stadium in Kenya after the 60,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Apart from standing at a high altitude of 2,002 metres above sea level -- a much desired conditions for elite athletes when training - Kericho borders the Mau forest habitat, a regional water table that receives heavy rainfall all year round.
“It is very encouraging that the county government has upgraded the stadium after years of neglect in what set an example for other counties on nurturing sporting talents among the youths,” said Sakaja.
The entrance to the Kericho Green Stadium in this photo taken on April 21, 2022. The stadium was reopened in 2019 after a Sh90-million refurbishment. More work is expected to be done on the stadium to turn it into one of the biggest in the country that can host major sporting events.
The committee further recommended that the terraces be expanded to accommodate more spectators during competitions.
Professor Chepkwony said the county had constructed a VIP room and the main pavilion, and toilets.
“The ongoing repairs in the stadium are covered by the contractor who is bound to maintain the facility for a number of years,” said Governor Chepkwony.
For over one year, the stadium has been a beehive of sporting activities.
The Federation of Football Kenya (FKF) has picked the facility as a training ground for referees and match commissars for the last two seasons.
Anthony Makau, an official of Kenya Football Referees Associations, said they settled on the stadium because of the fact it was considered as one of the best stadiums outside Nairobi.
“We laid a synthetic material on the track that is bonded to the ground and there is no possibility of it being dislodged for several years. The football pitch has also been set to the required standards with the help of an FKF technical team,” said Chepkwony.
Some of the spectator stands at Kericho Green Stadium in this photo taken on April 21, 2022. The stadium was reopened in 2019 after a Sh90-million refurbishment. More work is expected to be done on the stadium to turn it into one of the biggest in the country that can host major sporting events.
Initially, the track was murramed with a few sheds and terraces, but the upgrade has led to a remarkable transformation.
Budding and seasoned athletes have for the last two years been using the stadium as a training ground following the upgrade.
Little wonder that in recent times there have been increased calls to rename the stadium after legendary athlete Kiprugut Chumo, the first Kenyan to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
Chumo, who hails from Kapchebor village in Ainamoi constituency, Kericho County won bronze in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
The county assembly is yet to settle the matter.
Kericho Green Stadium can indeed host big sporting events.
Kenya Communications Sports Organisation (Kecoso) Games will be hosted at the facility in July.
Kecoso is a recreational corporate social responsibility initiative bringing together employees from ministries of transport, infrastructure, housing, urban development, information communication technology and sports and heritage.
Omole Asiko, the Kecoso secretary general, said the participants will compete football, volleyball, snooker, darts, netball, golf, table tennis and basketball.
The stadium hosted the Kenya Inter-Counties Sports and Cultural Association (Kicosca) Games in 2019 which brought together teams from all the 47 counties in the country.
