Nairobi — The Nyeri County Government has promised that the construction of the Ruring'u Stadium will be completed by the end of the year, after almost five years of delay.
Nyeri Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Mwangi has acknowledged the delays in completing the overhaul of the historic stadium, but says they have had a meeting with the contractor and are in agreement to complete the construction of the 20,000-seater facility before December this year.
"Indeed it is true that it is embarrassing that the construction of the stadium is not yet complete five years after it began yet Kirigiti Stadium which is nearly three times the size of Ruring'u is currently in operation," said Mwangi.
He added; "We had issues with the contractor but my office has worked very hard and pushed the contractor to complete the project and I can assure you that by the end of this year, the stadium will be commissioned."
Nyeri town Member of Parliament, Duncan Maina had expressed his dissatisfaction with the slow pace of construction of the stadium.
Maina had earlier on said that the onus was on Sports Kenya and County Commissioner's office to iron out issues that were preventing the contractor from completing the project.
"Ruring'u stadium is one of the projects that are a demonstration of how government projects should not be undertaken. The stadium is an embarrassment to the previous administration because, the retired president laid the foundation stone on June 20, 2017," he said.
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The facility, whose facelift is set to cost the taxpayer Sh450mn is poised to be the biggest sporting facility in the Mount Kenya region.
Due to the high altitude in Nyeri County, the stadium will not only be used to host athletic and football events but it will also be a training ground for budding sporting talents.
The facility features a modern changing room, a sports shop, a restaurant and a VIP terrace. The initial plan had also factored in the installation of a surveillance system for the world class sporting facility.
Initially the project was supposed to be completed in December 2020 but has stalled thrice owing to various reasons including delayed payment to the initial contractor.
Last year, construction of the fence stalled following a request from Kikuyu elders who had sought time to perform a ritual at the grounds before uprooting a Mugumo tree that is said to have been planted by former President Daniel Moi in 1978.
-By KNA
