By Micah Sali.
Masinde Muliro stadium at Kanduyi in Bungoma will be covered by a modern roof made from Teflon to attain international standards .
The roof will be constructed after the completion of the Madaraka day fete slated for June 1 2024.
“We have put in the scope a modern canopy all around this stadium not mabati but of a modern material called Teflon so that this stadium has an international shade all round,” Namwamba said.
PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene, is a PTFE-coated woven fiberglass membrane that is extremely durable, weather resistant and a highly sustainable building material for roofing applications.
Its also a flames retardant material with a service life of more than 30 years.
Addressing the I.P. at the stadium grounds on Saturday ,May 25 2024 C.S. for Sports ,Youth Affairs and creative economy Ababu Namwamba said that it has taken ‘a whole government approach’ for the stadium to be ‘ready’ for hosting the 61st Madaraka day celebrations.
The stadium is designed to accommodate
5,000 people at the main terrace and 10,000 people on the other sitting terraces .
It will also receive a facelift at the VIP spaces,changing rooms for referees, visiting teams,doctors and other areas.
Namwamba said that upgrading the stadium’s playing surface with the right kind of grass and efficient irrigation system will be done after the Madaraka day celebrations.
Masinde Muliro stadium once completed in good time is expected to be one of the stadia in Kenya that may be used to host the 2024 CHAN football tournament that is slated for September this year.
Namwamba hailed the Kenya Defense Forces, the National Youth Service and the county government of Bungoma for working as a team to complete the stadium in time before the national Madaraka day celebrations that will be held at Kanduyi in Bungoma County.
Bukhungu stadium which was expected to have been refurbished before June to host the 2024 CHAN tournament will not be ready to open doors for the tournament by September due to financial constraints by the county government of Kakamega.
Nyayo national national stadium.Kipchoge Keino Stadium and Moi International sports center Kasarani expected to host the 2027 AFCON matches are under renovation.
The government is also building the 60,000 seater Talanta stadium that will be an all football pitch that will be completed by the end of December 2025 in readiness for the 2027 AFCON tournament.
Kenya,Uganda and Tanzania are expected to co host the tournament.
The National Government has proposed adjustments on the design at Bukhungu Stadium to reflect the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Standards.
The adjustments and budget deficits will delay the completion of refurbishment of Bukhungu stadium beyond the CHAN tournament calendar .
“We really must finish this project within the coming financial year because the funds we have committed for this project falls in the current financial year 2023/2024, we are going to cascade those resources into the next financial year we don’t want to carry those funds to another financial year,” he added.
Namwamba said that redesigning and remodeling Bukhungu stadium will position it as a venue for international football matches in the future.
“We made some adjustments to make sure we conform to the FIFA and CAF requirements so I can now say that we are now moving with the FIFA, CAF checklist,” he added.
According to C.S. Namwamba ,the National government will top up Ksh. 760 million in the next financial year to Ksh 3.2 B projected budget by the County government of Kakamega to complete the stadium to international standards by the end of 2025.
Ends/Micah.
