After a decade of broken promises, mismanagement, and public money gone to waste, Kabarnet Stadium, a once-celebrated flagship project in Baringo County, has been abandoned and relocated to a new site.
The multi-million-shilling facility at Bondeni in the heart of Kabarnet town, has now been moved to the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) grounds in Kaptimbor, on the outskirts of the town.
The stadium’s story is one of squandered funds, poor workmanship, and missed opportunities.
Construction began in 2016 with high expectations, just two years after the onset of devolution, with a target completion date of 2018.
A decade later, it remained a derelict structure, overgrown with shrubs, riddled with gullies and cliffs, and unsafe for public use. More than Sh50 million has been spent, yet locals have little to show for it.
Kabarnet Stadium in Baringo.
Photo credit: Florah Koech | Nation
What was meant to be a hub for athletics, football, and community events quickly became a local hazard. Unfinished excavation works by the contractor left deep gullies and cliffs across the field. Broken drainage culverts and silted tunnels made the site treacherous during rain. Shrubs and anthills sprouted where players were supposed to run.
Locals described it as a death trap and reported idlers using the stadium as a hideout for drug abuse and illicit sexual activity, all in plain view of residents in the adjacent informal settlement in Bondeni village.
Faced with the unsustainable state of the stadium, the county government decided to relocate the facility to the ASK grounds in Kaptimbor. According to the county government, the move was forced by the limited space in Bondeni, which was insufficient to accommodate the architectural designs proposed by the National Government for a modern sports complex.
Baringo County Chief Officer in charge of Lands, Charles Kipkulei, explained that the new site offers more than 20 acres, making it suitable for a comprehensive sports facility with multiple amenities.
“In the architectural designs for the new facility proposed by the State, the current location was not enough. We opted to relocate it to the ASK grounds on the outskirts of Kabarnet town, a move unanimously agreed on by the locals,” Mr Kipkulei said.
Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, weeks into office in September 2022, expressed concern over the deteriorating state of the facility. The perimeter walls were collapsing, gullies had formed across the open field, and drainage culverts were broken, making it unsafe for public use.
“We are worried that a project that was started during my tenure in 2016 is yet to be completed several years on. Despite the few challenges, I also blame the previous government that took over after me (in 2017) for failing to continue with the project, just because of politics. I promise locals that very soon its construction works will continue,” he said at the time.
Mr Cheboi denied allegations of embezzlement of funds, noting that the project had only been allocated Sh40 million during his tenure, which covered the construction of the perimeter wall, the main gate, and some field levelling.
Part of a perimeter wall at Kabarnet Stadium on September 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Florah Koech | Nation
He explained that the project stalled during the tenure of Governor Stanley Kiptis due to funding shortfalls rather than misappropriation.
“I want to dispute claims that the stadium is lacking a title deed. All public institutions in this region often operate without formal documentation, yet construction continues. The real issue is allocating more funding to the stadium,” the governor said.
Mr Kiptis had earlier raised his own concerns about the stalled stadium. When he assumed office in 2017, he discovered numerous audit queries dating back to 2015, which neither his administration nor the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) could fully explain.
In his efforts to move the project forward, Mr Kiptis wrote to the National Government seeking approval to continue construction while investigations into the audit queries were ongoing.
“The stalled stadium is a serious matter, and as a sportsman, I am also a worried man because it has several audit queries. I have gone to the extent of writing to the Sports ministry to also allocate funds to support us in completing the project like the other stadiums in other regions,” he said at the time.
A football pitch at Kabarnet Stadium in Baringo County from the town to Bondeni Estate on March 24, 2023 whose construction was initiated by the county government, but stalled.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
He cited the lack of a title deed as a major impediment to completing the project, highlighting the bureaucratic challenges that compounded financial constraints.
The project had also attracted the attention of former Auditor-General Edward Ouko in the 2017/2018 financial year. The audit report revealed that a contractor was awarded Sh17.5 million in December 2017 for rehabilitation works, with a completion deadline of February 28, 2018.
However, the works remained incomplete despite the expiration of the contract period.
Crucially, the audit report could not confirm land ownership and warned that the Sh16.7 million already spent risked going to waste entirely. The report noted that title documents for the land were not produced, making it impossible to verify legal possession.
County Assembly investigations between January 23 and 27, 2023, further confirmed the appalling state of the stadium and audit findings. Members of the Public Accounts and Investment Committee examined Auditor-General reports covering 2014 to 2017 and held fact-finding sessions at the Kenya School of Government, Kabarnet.
Committee members found a derelict facility: gullies across the field, broken drainage, collapsing perimeter walls, missing gates, unfinished running tracks ending at cliffs, and absent goalposts. Materials used were found to be substandard, with soluble stones in the field dissolving under rainwater.
The committee also observed missing goalposts, despite their inclusion in the project specifications, highlighting widespread deficiencies in planning and execution.
A cliff at Kabarnet Stadium on September 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Florah Koech | Nation
Under the new plan by the county government, the abandoned stadium at Bondeni will remain an alternative sports facility, although the county has yet to decide its exact future use.
Meanwhile, construction at the new site began with a high-profile ground-breaking ceremony on January 28, overseen by Defence Cabinet Secretary Patrick Mariru.
He confirmed that President William Ruto had ordered the new project, which would be supervised by the military to ensure completion within nine months.
The new stadium is part of a nationwide initiative to build 25 modern facilities, with eight already under construction and five scheduled for commissioning by the end of the year.
The ASK grounds stadium will feature a 400-metre mixed-surface athletics track, a standard football pitch, and seating for 10,000 spectators. Additional amenities will accommodate multiple sporting events and community activities.
Mr Mariru stressed the strategic oversight role of the military in supervising the project, saying it will guarantee strict adherence to timelines and quality standards.
Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi echoed the commitment to quality, adding that Athletics Kenya, the Football Kenya Federation, and other relevant bodies would oversee and monitor the works to ensure compliance with national and international standards.
Governor Cheboi welcomed the relocation and construction of the new facility, highlighting its potential to nurture local talent and host major events.
“The construction of this new stadium will be complete by December this year, and we anticipate hosting the first national celebration at the new facility in 2027. We urge the contractor to employ local youth and thank ASK officials and the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) for supporting this modern facility,” he said.
