The Ministry of Defence has announced that Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops will be deployed in Siaya County to oversee two critical infrastructure projects.
In a statement, the Defence Cabinet Secretary, Soipan Tuya, said that the military will spearhead the construction of the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium and the modernisation of the Siaya Level 5 Hospital.
According to Tuya, the deployment of the troops to oversee the construction of the two facilities will not only boost the county's infrastructural capacity but will also reinforce Siaya's security.
The decision was made after the CS met with a delegation from Siaya County, led by Siaya Governor James Orengo and the Siaya County Executive Committee Member for Tourism, Culture, Sports and the Arts, Angeline Oduor, on Wednesday, June 11.
"Discussed opportunities for collaboration between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Siaya County Government in infrastructure development and maritime security with Governor James Orengo at Defence Headquarters," the CS said.
"MOD, through Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), will oversee the upgrading of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium to a 20,000-seater ultra-modern multi-sport facility and modernisation of the Siaya Level 5 hospital," she added.
Apart from fighting enemies, KDF officers can be deployed to oversee other government initiatives such as infrastructural development, responding to emergencies and disasters, and participating in environmental conservation efforts, among others.
The announcement comes a month after the CS, through a gazette notice dated May 9, withdrew the military that had been deployed to help with the demolition of a faulty building in Mombasa.
The officers were deployed to help with the controlled demolition, the first of its kind in the country, of the building at Kilifi Corner in Fayaz Estate, days after the building started sinking.
''Pursuant to section 34 (3) (a) of the Kenya Defense Forces Act, notice is given that on the 9th April 2025, the Kenya Defence Forces discontinued its deployment in the responses to the emergency at the eleven-storeyed building situated at Kilifi Corner Fayaz Estate along Abdel Nasser Road, Mombasa County, that began sinking on 2nd April, 2025, endangering adjacent residential and commercial buildings,'' the notice stated.
According to Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir, the building's foundation had been severely compromised, citing unapproved borehole drilling into the foundation. The Governor claimed that the seven-storey building's columns had collapsed approximately three metres.
The demolition, which occurred on Wednesday, April 9, was necessitated by fears that the building would collapse and cause losses of life and property.
