After 3 years of no activity at the Nairobi City Stadium, work to rehabilitate the historic stadium finally began on Monday, September 9. The stadium was closed in 2016 after it was dimmed unfit to host Kenya Premier League matches due to the deteriorating playing surface as well as the fans’ sitting sections.
Nairobi county has four Stadiums; The Kasarani and Nyayo National Stadiums, City Stadium and the Ruaraka Stadium. However, only two are functioning at the moment with the Nyayo National Stadium also closed for renovations.
On his Social Media accounts, Nairobi governor Mike Sonko uploaded photos of the construction workers doing their bits at City Stadium. The governor also promised to ensure that the new Dandora Stadium in completed soon.
He also revealed that his cabinet is working on a budget to construct three other stadia in Ziwani Grounds (Kariokor), Ndurarwa (Riruta), and Kihumbuini (Kangemi).
City Stadium is home to Kenya Premier League Champions Gor Mahia. As a result of the stadium’s unavailability, the club is forced to use the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos and the Moi Stadium for their home matches.
This has resulted in the team incurring additional costs while transporting the players to Machakos and Kisumu as well as losing revenue as most fans cannot afford to travel that far every week.