This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's promise to complete the historic Ruring'u Stadium in Nyeri by 2017 has not been fulfilled, with the project only 65% complete as of 2021.
When President Kenyatta toured Nyeri on June 22, 2017, he announced plans to construct the stadium after settling an ownership row between the county government and the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK).
However, five years down the line, the stadium is still incomplete, and it is no longer listed on the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) website, raising questions about the progress of the project.
According to sources, the Government has finally made a decision to replace the contractor for failing to show his ability to complete the work on time as agreed.
The stadium was one of the major projects promised to the residents of Nyeri County by the Jubilee government, along with Karatina and Chaka markets. Karatina was opened by the head of state in 2018, and the Chaka market hub Phase 1 is complete, while Phase 2 is at 60% completion.
Speaking during the launch in June 2017, President Kenyatta said, 'This is a very important facility; it will enable the residents of Nyeri to get a place to do their sporting events and hold other public events, and I will be back in six months' time, after its completion.'
However, the project has been plagued by delays, with the Sports Kenya Board members, accompanied by government teams and the Nyeri County Commissioner, making several trips to the stadium to assess the progress.
Project supervisor Roy Goga blamed the government for the delay in completion of the stadium, citing delays in payment and facilitation.
'Every time we make requests for facilitation and payment, there is a delay. We presented a completion certificate for Sh1 million, but no payment has been made yet,' he said.
However, government officials refuted the claims, stating that the government cannot make a payment that is less than Sh5 million, claiming that the contractor had not done much work to accrue enough payment.
Despite the delays, the Sports Kenya Board has terminated the contract with the contractor, citing the contractor's inability to deliver the stadium on time.
On his return trip to the facility on Tuesday, May 4, Sports Kenya director Mwangi Muthee said they had terminated the contract.
