A newly installed tartan track at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru City on April 1, 2025 ahead of the fourth edition of the Betika/ Athletics Kenya track and field weekend meeting set to be held at the venue on Friday and Saturday.
After nearly four years of inactivity, the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru County will come alive this weekend as it hosts the fourth edition of the Betika Athletics Kenya (AK) Track and Field Weekend Meeting.
The highly anticipated event, set for Friday and Saturday, could serve as a testing ground for both the Nakuru County government and the national government to accelerate the completion of the 77-year-old facility’s renovation.
Thousands of athletics fans and Nakuru County residents are expected to turn up in large numbers to witness top-tier and up-and-coming athletes test the newly laid tartan track for the first time.
Among those set to compete is Hilal Yego, a former Diamond League winner and World U-18 champion, who will line up in the 3,000m steeplechase.
The stadium’s long-overdue completion has been a source of frustration, with youth protests highlighting the sluggish progress of the Sh700 million renovation project, partially funded by the World Bank.
Launched on April 30, 2021, the upgrades were initially projected to be completed within 18 months. However, work has been progressing at a slow pace, and the stadium remains incomplete—with missing seats, crucial sporting equipment in dressing rooms, and an unfinished football pitch.
Despite these setbacks, AK has decided to test Nakuru’s state-of-the-art blue artificial running track, which has now taken shape. Many young athletes are eager to experience running on a world-class surface for the first time in their careers.
The first three AK Track and Field Weekend Meetings this season were held on murram tracks—at Mumias Sports Complex (February 14-15), Thika Municipal Stadium (February 28-March 1), and Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex in Kapsabet (March 14-15).
Winners in various categories will receive cash prizes, with first-place finishers earning Sh20,000, second place Sh15,000, and third place Sh10,000.
Jepta Rono, South Rift Athletics Kenya Public Relations Officer, emphasised the significance of the event in preparing athletes for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, scheduled for September 13-21.
“The fourth weekend meeting at the new-look Afraha Stadium tartan track is a great opportunity for our athletes to test their preparedness for the World Athletics Championships,” said Rono on Tuesday.
Following the event, AK will initiate the process of certifying the tartan track to international standards based on feedback from athletes.
“We want the athletes to tell us how it feels running on the track and if there are any improvements they could suggest before we start the certification process,” added Rono.
So far, 216 athletes have registered for the event, with organisers expecting the number to surpass 500 before the competition kicks off on Friday.
