Eldoret is racing to complete roads, hospitality and stadium works before October 20, when it hosts Mashujaa Day in the city’s first national celebration since gaining city status.
At the centre of the preparations is the long-stalled Kipchoge Keino Stadium, a 15,000-seater facility that had remained unfinished for more than a decade before being revived by the decision to make Eldoret the main venue.
Uasin Gishu County says the stadium is now 68 per cent complete and should be ready by October 14, six days before the celebrations.
Across the city, roads are being upgraded, cabro blocks laid, traffic lights repaired, business premises repainted and security patrols intensified as national and county agencies prepare for thousands of visitors.
Construction work continues at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, ahead of this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations on October 20. The event will be co-hosted by Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The event will be jointly hosted by Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet, making it the first Mashujaa Day to be shared by three counties. Eldoret will host the main ceremony, while the neighbouring counties will showcase their tourism, sporting and business attractions during the week-long festivities.
For Eldoret, which attained city status in 2024, the celebrations are also an opportunity to present itself as a regional sporting, commercial, tourism and healthcare hub.
A multi-agency committee is coordinating infrastructure and other projects, with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo among officials overseeing preparations.
“The multi-agency committee has been formed to oversee infrastructure projects ahead of the celebration,” Mr Murkomen said during an earlier meeting with regional leaders, adding that the programme covered sports and tourism infrastructure, roads and energy.
Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kipchumba Murkomen speaks during a service at AIC Plainsview Church service in South B, Nairobi on June 14, 2026.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
The CS said Sh63 million had been set aside for sports tournaments planned as part of the celebrations.
At Kipchoge Keino Stadium, construction and renovation are being supervised by the ministries of Sports and Defence. Mr Omollo, who chairs the national committee overseeing the project, toured the facility last week and expressed confidence that it would be ready, while acknowledging that substantial work remained.
The choice of Eldoret followed President William Ruto’s July announcement of the joint hosting arrangement after meeting leaders from the three counties.
Elgeyo Marakwet had initially been selected, with Kamariny Stadium identified as the venue. Eldoret was later chosen as the main venue after comparisons over capacity and positioning.
Uasin Gishu County communications director Silas Tarus said preparations were nearing completion, with security, health, hospitality and transport agencies also making progress. The stadium is only one piece of the city’s makeover. City Manager Elzeba Busienei is overseeing street cleaning and repainting of business premises, while county departments are handling branding, flag installation, resident mobilisation and parade coordination.
In the Central Business District, the county and Eldoret Municipality are improving roads, laying cabro blocks and installing water points. Traffic management has also been stepped up, with traffic lights installed or repaired along the Eldoret-Uganda highway and other busy routes.
Governor Jonathan Bii said the measures were intended to ease congestion and improve movement during the celebrations.
Uasin Gishu County Governor Jonathan Bii.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
National government agencies are also upgrading roads in Eldoret, Kapsabet and Iten. Water and electricity connections have been expanded in anticipation of increased demand.
Roadworks are under way in the Prisons area opposite the stadium, while roads in Pioneer Estate are due for tarmacking to connect the neighbourhood to the affordable housing project.
At the Eldoret Agricultural Society of Kenya grounds, military personnel have been rehearsing for the national ceremony, while the Kenya Air Force has conducted aerial manoeuvres.
Sport will form a major part of the celebrations in a region whose identity is closely tied to athletics.
Under the theme “Security, Sports and the Finance Sector (The Economy)”, sporting activities are running from September 26 to October 18, with Sh63 million allocated for football, volleyball and athletics competitions.
The competitions began at ward level, with volleyball inter-county finals scheduled for October 19 and football finals on October 20.
Security is another major concern, particularly in Elgeyo Marakwet and other parts of the North Rift affected by banditry and illegal firearms.
Police patrols have been intensified ahead of an event expected to attract senior government officials, political leaders, foreign guests and thousands of members of the public.
Elgeyo Marakwet police commander Peter Mulinge said security agencies had enhanced patrols to prevent lawlessness during the celebrations.
More than 300 firearms and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition have been voluntarily surrendered in the county, he said, as part of Government efforts to improve security. The Kenya Defence Forces and National Police Service are expected to be deployed before and during the event.
The county estimates that nearly 10,000 local visitors, 500 to 1,000 foreign visitors and nearly 10 dignitaries could attend.
Authorities say they are working with hotels and restaurants to ensure adequate accommodation and hospitality services while using the event to market the wider region.
Mr Tarus cited Kesses Dam and Koromosho Falls, alongside Eldoret’s climate, nightlife and growing medical industry, as attractions for visitors.
But residents are looking beyond the festivities and want the national attention to translate into action on long-pending projects.
“It is the first time such a national event is being co-hosted by three counties and we expect the President to tell us how he will implement pending development projects in the region,” said resident David Kosgei.
Among the projects residents want addressed is the 32-kilometre Eldoret Southern Bypass, built with African Development Bank funding at a cost of about Sh5 billion.
The road has remained underutilised more than two years after the Kenya Revenue Authority designated it a transit route under the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.
Residents and businesses say greater use of the bypass could ease congestion in the CBD and strengthen Eldoret’s position as a regional logistics and transport hub.
The celebrations will also take place less than a year before the 2027 General Election, giving the event a political dimension. President Ruto is expected to highlight his administration’s development record in the North Rift, while the region’s security record, particularly efforts against banditry and illegal firearms in the Kerio Valley, will also draw attention.
Mashujaa Day, held annually on October 20, honours Kenyans who contributed to the struggle for independence and the country’s development.
For Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet, the celebrations are therefore about more than preparing venues and streets for a national ceremony. They are an opportunity to demonstrate the region’s sporting talent, economic potential and tourism attractions — and to test whether the national spotlight can produce investment that lasts beyond October 20.
