Fixing of floodlights at the Nyayo National Stadium has begun giving the country a major boost as far as being ready for next year’s Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) finals is concerned.The facility witnessed increased activity on Saturday as workers from Kitengela-based Greenbro Africa Limited were busy on Saturday afternoon offloading the floodlights and subsequently, began fixing them.According to a supervisor from the company William Owiti, it will take them at least two weeks to fully fix them.“The floodlights were ready by 24 December but holes to hold them are not ready. We will therefore not install them in line with the schedule,” he said.Having been assured of support, Owiti said he would do his best to have the floodlights erected and functioning within two weeks.##NAJAVA_MECA_8598387##“But we have been assured that they will be ready in a few days. Once they are finished we shall not waste time and should be ready in two weeks since we have enough manpower to fix them concurrently and they will be working daily from 6 am,” he said.The lack of floodlights at the country’s oldest international stadium has been a big hindrance for it to host international matchesOn the pitch, workers were busy putting the final touches on it to ensure that it meets international standards.A worker, who anonymously talked to Mozzart Sport, revealed that the playing surface will be ready soon.How much top flight clubs pay to use available stadiums for home matches“Sand has been evenly laid on the pitch. After that, we are going to water it for at least one week and then it should be to the required standards by the Confederation of African Football (CAF),” he said.Last week CAF President Dr. Patrick Motsepe said he has all the confidence in the world that Kenya will be ready to host next year’s African Nations Championships (CHAN) scheduled for 1-28 February.Motsepe, flanked by new FKF President Hussein Mohamed and outgoing Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen, made the words of reaffirmation immediately following his second visit to the country, which included him inspecting all stadia and training facilities earmarked to host the tournament.His Friday tour saw him inspect the Moi International Sports Stadium – Kasarani, Ulinzi Sports Complex, Police Sacco Grounds, before concluding at the Nyayo National Stadium.New cheaper stadium opens doors for Kenyan teams after completionOn Thursday 19 December, the CAF President toured Tanzania, the second host nation alongside neighboring Uganda, which he also visited on Friday.”I was yesterday in Tanzania and I must say I am so pleased and impressed by their progress,” Motsepe said. “My deepest gratitude on behalf of all African countries goes out to President William Ruto for the level of commitment and passion he has shown in ensuring Kenya hosts CHAN,” he added.Motsepe went on to praise the cooperation between CAF’s team of experts and the newly installed CHAN Local Organising Committee for making progress, despite facing several challenges.
