This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
Published on August 5, 2020, the construction of the Sh394 million Siaya Stadium has been delayed, leaving sportsmen in the county without a proper training facility.
The stadium, being constructed by Chinese Jiangsu Provincial Construction Ltd, was initially expected to be completed in December 2019, but the county government has now revised the completion date to December 2020.
Despite being 70 per cent complete, the ongoing construction has been affected by the procurement of materials from Nairobi, which was impacted by the government's containment measures against Covid-19.
According to Good pace Tourism and Sports Executive Charles Ogada, construction was going on at a good pace, with public terraces of associated facilities at 90 per cent complete and the main pitch at 50 per cent complete.
However, the project has faced several challenges, including the closure of key service offices relevant to the project, reduced workforce due to social distancing rules, and bad weather.
William Owino, the Athletics Kenya Siaya branch assistant secretary-general, dismissed the Covid-19 excuse, saying the works have been generally slow.
“We have identified our own athletes from the county who need to start practising soon. Right now, we do not have proper training fields,” said Mr Owino.
