Sports CS Ababu Namwamba has once again expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of stadia in the country and promised to probe how billions allocated for facilities upgrade were spent.A fortnight ago, Namwamba visited Kinoru Stadium in Meru and was left shocked at the poor state of the stadium that has been under lock and key for the past few years undergoing renovations. He promised to probe how the one billion shillings allocated to face-lift the stadia was spent.##NAJAVA_MECA_6881967##On Monday evening, the CS expressed his discontent at the state of Nyayo Stadium after gracing the Jamhuri Day Cup match between Sofapaka and AFC Leopards that ended in Batoto ba Mungu’s favour. He was particularly incensed by the lack of floodlights at the stadium and opined that people who were supposed to fix the lights should be sent behind bars.“It is actually a shame that darkness descended on us as we presented prizes of this Jamhuri Day Cup because Nyayo National Stadium does not have floodlights. Someone was paid money to do floodlights and they have not done it and actually we should be getting some of these characters behind jail,” Namwamba said.According to the CS, other than Kinoru, Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret which has equally consumed hundreds of millions is in a worse state.“Infrastructure development is a core part of this Talanta Hela and the renaissance of football and our sports. I have looked at Kinoru, red card, I looked at Kipchoge Keino last Saturday and if I could issue three red cards at the same time, I would do that to Kipchoge Keino Stadium,”.CS @AbabuNamwamba is currently attending the Jamhuri Day Cup 2022 football match between @AFCLeopards and @FC_Sofapaka at the Nyayo National Stadium. pic.twitter.com/I25YCq9hhV— Ministry Of Youth Affairs, Sports & The Arts (@moscakenya) December 12, 2022 Nyayo Stadium that was reopened last year had been underdoing renovations for three years but CS Namwamba does not see any meaningful work done at the facility as it cannot host a CAF or FIFA sanctioned match at the moment.“I intend to do this with so many other facilities. Nyayo is not any better, Nyayo Still looks like a piece from the museum of Kenya, Kasarani has its challenges and so in terms of facilities we don’t yet as we speak have facilities that could be ready for immediate use for FIFA level games,”.The government has plans to upgrade the facilities to be of high standards and the CS revealed that they will role out an elaborate to fix the facilities in January 2023.“But we are determined. In January when we announce the logistics and the logistics and details of this program (Talanta Hela), we will also be sharing a very ambitious, very revolutionary, infrastructure upgrading program, we want to upgrade our infrastructure not in the scattered, staccato, knee-jerk, managing by crisis style that has informed infrastructure development in the past”. “It is going to be a well-thought-out plan, where we can have a few facilities that will be done so well. We do not have to have eight or nine stadia at the same time. We will have a few that both CAF and FIFA will find them worth of hosting FIFA and CAF rated competitions,” he added.In Meru today to inspect the state of Kinoru Stadium. Disappointed it falls way below international standards and not worth the almost Shs 1 billion spent. Forensic value-for-money audit of all new stadia is imperative. Kenya cannot host FIFA/CAF events without quality facilities pic.twitter.com/Gz9Os8OO2R— Hon Ababu-Namwamba, EGH🇰🇪 (@AbabuNamwamba) December 2, 2022 Namwamba further promised to probe how the funds that were released for upgrading various stadia across the country were spent hinting that some people will be held accountable.“I hold office in trust for the people of Kenya and it will be utmost irresponsibility of me if I did not find out what happened the resources because we are supposed to see these resources in the face or in the look of these facilities… I looked around Kinoru and I did not see a billion shillings, I have looked at Kipchoge and I do not see the hundreds of millions that have been sunk in. a lot of resources have been spent on these facility that we are in right now 9Nyayo Stadium) and looking at it it’s bad, even that football pitch is not a pitch and we have to decide whether Nyayo is a football stadium or maybe we leave it for national holidays,”.Peter Lwasa extols Gor Mahia boss Jonathan McKinstry’s virtues after splendid start
