After three years of renovation, Nairobi's Nyayo Stadium is finally complete with the launch set for September 26, 2020. President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to grace the occasion.
The repair of the second oldest stadium in the country began in 2017, with the venue completely closed off from sporting activities.
Nyayo Stadium now has a new look with seats fitted on the terraces, which is an improvement from the old-look when spectators would sit on the slab.
The seats now bare the national flag colours, with the stadium boasting a breathtakingly green field with well-trimmed grass.
Most facilities have also been upgraded with the players' locker rooms getting a revamp as well as an exquisite VIP section for dignitaries.
Among the first events likely to be held at the venue will be the Nairobi leg of the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour on October 3, 2020.
However, with the Covid-19 measures, the stadium which has a capacity of 30,000 will only have 6,000 fans allowed during the event.
“We hope to have 20% of the sitting capacity. People will buy the tickets online and once we hit the 6,000 mark, the portal closes," Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed stated after announcing the phased re-opening of Sports in the country.
Renovations on the stadium commenced in 2017 with plans to upgrade it to a world-class facility in preparation for hosting the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The games, however, did not happen as slow progress on the stadium and others were not complete by the time the championship was to kick off.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) were not impressed with the slow progress and transferred the hosting rights to Morocco.
With the launch set for Saturday, September 26, several stakeholders in the sports fraternity will be present.
Players have been advised to observe a dress code consisting of tracksuit preferably ones depicting the Kenya national colours.
Here are more photos of the new-look stadium:
