Many deadlines later, Ruring’u Stadium now at 90 per cent complete
A view of Ruring'u stadium in Nyeri County on April 23, 2022.
What you need to know:
- First phase of Sh450 million plan drags to the frustration of residents
- The latest date for the project to be finished was December last year but funds derailed the schedule
If there is one lesson to take home from the construction of Ruring'u stadium in Nyeri County is that people should take with a pinch of salt whatever is said on political podiums.
The day was June 22, 2017 when President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over a ground-breaking ceremony at the historical ground to start the upgrading of the stadium to international standard.
He authorized the contractor to mobilize resources and move with speed to have it complete in 100 days.
But five years later, work is still in progress at the site with the stadium now at 90 per cent complete.
The project has taken shape with the athletic track, a football pitch and a drainage system all in place.
The contractor is doing final touches on the main dais.
Ruring'u was among nine key stadiums that the Jubilee government had pledged to upgrade during its rule in a bid to boost sports and increase capacity to develop and nurture talents in the country.
The main stand under construction at Ruring'u stadium in Nyeri County on April 23, 2022.
The stadium occupies a space in the country's history as it was the place where the freedom fighters assembled from the forest on July 6, 1952 and declared war against the colonialists. The same venue also saw Mau Mau fighters paraded again and surrendered their arms signalling the end of the uprising against British rule in the country.
The Sh450 million project was divided into two phases. In the first phase, the scope of work entailed laying down a tartan track, a football pitch, changing rooms and a VIP dais at a cost of Sh280 million.
In the second phase, a warm up track, pay booths and indoor sports arenas are set to be constructed.
The Nyeri county government undertook to erect a perimeter fence where phase one was completed in 2020 at a cost of Sh20 million. The final phase was delayed over a boundary dispute between the Ministry of Housing and Sport Kenya but has since been resolved.
An athletics track at Ruring'u stadium in Nyeri County on April 23, 2022.
Initially, the project started off with good momentum the first three months before a dispute arose between the contractor, Funan Construction and Kenya Power over a power line that had cut through the site.
The drama dragged on for over six months with the power company demanding Sh1.4 million to reroute the power line and the contractor maintaining a hardliner's position that he had no budget for such works.
It took the intervention of the Energy Ministry and Sports Kenya to resolve the issue.
A few months into the works, the project stalled again at 30 per cent following cash delays from the treasury. This time, the contractor even cleared out his machinery and workers from the site leaving for three years.
Moments of drama have been witnessed periodically as government officials traded blame with the contractor on site with every meeting ending up with fresh deadlines set to complete the stadium.
Work resumed at the site around June 2020 albeit at a slow pace.
Last year, the government brought in a new contractor, Comnet Technologies with a brief to complete the project by the end of the year.
The President’s Delivery Unit (PDU) even promised that the stadium would be ready for use by December but it was not to be.
The status of the old stadium at Ruring'u in Nyeri County on April 22, 2022.
During the Sagana Three meeting that was chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta in February in Nyeri, PDU director Andrew Wakahiu admitted delay of cash disbursement for the project but promised more money would be injected from the supplementary budget.
That revived hopes of local sports federations who had started planning to stage events at the new arena this year.
Central Kenya Athletics Kenya first vice chairman Erastus Kabugi told Nation Sport on Thursday that the branch had hoped to stage the regional track and field championships at the new track but they resorted to the decrepit, sub-standard old ground.
"We need this facility open now in readiness for the track and field season. We are happy with what the government has done so far," said Kabugi.
The stadium is one of the high altitude training grounds in the country that is strategically located and accessible by many institutions and clubs, both in the region and across the country.
The regional AK chairman David Miano urged the government to fast-track the completion of the stadium. He said its completion would a game changer for the region, literally.
