President William Ruto's administration made major strides in securing his legacy after launching Moi Stadium in Embu for Madaraka Day Celebrations.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, May 31, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba announced that the renovation cost the government Ksh476 million.
The uplift was done in 15 weeks only, setting the pace for major projects under construction.
"We are very happy in how this project has been undertaken in a record 15 weeks for Ksh476 million. We have been able to completely transform the face of this facility," Ababu stated.
"In those 15 weeks we have been able to redo the playing surface fitted with a pop irrigation technology. We have been able also to do terraces around the field with a capacity of 9,500 seats. We have identified extra spaces to extend that capacity to 15,000," the CS added.
According to CS Namwamba, Moi Stadium Embu has five VIP lounges, including a presidential-level and deputy-presidential section.
The lounges are self-contained with state-of-the-art facilities that meet international levels for hosting government and sports events.
Besides revamping the lounges and waiting bays, the contractor also increased the parking facilities and stadium lighting system.
Namwamba lauded the Head of State for completing his first stadium project under a fixed timeline. He added that Embu's Moi Stadium had set Kenya at the right stage in preparing to host international events, including football and athletics.
The venue for Madaraka Day Celebration was changed from Njukiri ASK Showground to Moi Stadium due to reasons related to the time and cost of constructing a new stadium at Njukiri, in Embu.
Further, the government changed the June 1 Madaraka Celebrations theme from Affordable Healthcare to a focus on SMEs.
"We want to focus on improving the economy which is the biggest challenge," Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo stated.
