The embarrassment that is Kisumu stadium

When the renovation of Moi Stadium Kisumu was announced in early 2012, football lovers were excited. It was supposed to be a joint project to be financed by the Government of Kenya and Fifa.

Local soccer officials were quick to visit the venue and announce that some matches at the  then forthcoming Cecafa tournament would be hosted in the lakeside city. They bragged that finally the region, that has produced many Kenyan soccer stars, would be rewarded by Fifa.

The locals looked forward to an ultra-modern stadium with not only an artificial turf, but also better facilities like modern stands with seats and all infrastructure that goes with a modest playing venue.

Kisumu Municipal Stadium was renamed Moi Stadium in 1979 after an official visit by the then head of state, Daniel arap Moi to the town.

The venue was known for hosting big events, both local and international. It was home to several Olympics athletics trials in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Kecoso (Kenya Communications Sports Organisation) games were also a frequent feature in the town.

Go to Kisumu today and what you see is a mockery of what was expected. It’s a sad sight until you remember that it was a Kenyan project, for Kenyans by Kenyans. We have been conditioned to expect shoddy workmanship every time we see a public project coming up. As Kenyans, we have similarly and unconsciously lowered our standards, that we accept what we see in the Kisumu stadium to be a completed project.

The outer perimeter wall is very ugly and the inner perimeter fence is vulnerable to destruction. The facility did not consider power lighting. One cannot believe a renovation of such a magnitude did not even cater for the provision of solar-powered floodlights.

The changing rooms were not touched and the players still use the tiny 10-foot by 10-foot cubicles. There are no support facilities like gymnasiums or additional warmup pitches. If anything, some sporting federations prefer using the neighbouring Kisumu Polytechnic instead of the stadium.

The only parking area, opposite Kisumu Day School, was cordoned off by a chain-link, which is falling off because the place is used by rogue boda boda riders as a training ground. One corner of the parking lot has been converted into a car wash pit.

Moi Stadium was also built next to Nyalenda slum. The biggest garbage dump in Western Kenya is nestled between Moi Stadium and Nakumatt City in Kisumu. The dumpsite has grown so big that residents started complaining to the former municipal council and have now given up hope, since the county government is apparently not different.

The city of Kisumu deserves a better stadium considering the potential that exists in neighbouring counties. With the devolved system of government, it is high time sports facilities like stadiums were developed to international standards. It would be good to see a situation where Kenya hosts international events which are held in county towns and not necessarily in Nairobi.

In the United Kingdom, cities like Manchester, Birmingham or Liverpool are capable of bidding, in their own right, to host the Commonwealth or Olympics games without relying on London.

We look forward to the day Kisumu, Nakuru or Eldoret can by-pass Nairobi and host big international events. This can only be made possible if they realise their autonomy and stop thinking that only capital cities deserve to host big events. That is when they will also stop approving shoddy jobs as happened with Moi Stadium in Kisumu.

Many sports people in Kenya originate from around Western Kenya deserve better sporting infrastructure.