GABON STADIUMS SHAME JUBILEE PROMISE: UhuRuto’s ‘five world-class stadiums’ remain a pipe-dream as AFCON hosts put their best foot forward to welcome

The place is full of overgrown grass. Plenty of waste plastic bags litter the construction site. The drainage is blocked.

There is not much activity here. And there has been none for the past seven months.

Welcome to Stade Omar Bongo, or Omar Bongo Stadium, where the concrete supports are mouldy and wasting away.

The facility was expected to be the main venue for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations. But sadly, it will not host any matches; not this edition anyway. It is not ready and will not be by the end of the tournament on February 5.

Never mind the Gabonese government spent about $220 million (Sh22 billion) to build it.

So why invest so much money only to leave the asset to rot?

Corruption and delayed work is the reply I got from most locals.

But Oyem and Port-Gentil stadiums were completed in good time and have already hosted several matches, which has otherwise brought some sense of hope for the Gabonese.

Kenya’s current state of affairs as far as sports infrastructure is concerned is not much different, and the words of the late Robert H Schuller, an American Christian televangelist, ring so true: “I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed.”

While campaigning ahead of the 2013 General Election, President Uhuru Kenyatta flaunted an array of promises.

The Jubilee Manifesto, under the banner ‘Transforming Kenya and Securing Kenya’s Prosperity’ was built on three major pillars - Unity (Umoja), Economy (Uchumi) and Openness (Uwazi). Quite elaborate.

And it was this manifesto that the UhuRuto candidature sold to Kenyans. Key among the numerous promises made, and which is of interest to sports, is anchored under the Umoja pillar.

FIVE STADIA

“We will facilitate and encourage the better management of sports, facilitate the professionalisation of sports through introduction of professional coaches in schools, establish youth development centres in all counties that will house a fully equipped library, an ICT hub, five sports pitches (football, swimming, basketball, netball volleyball) and a social hall,” reads part of the Jubilee manifesto.

But even with about 11 months left to the kick-off of the African Nations Championship (Chan) next January, hosts Kenya have done nothing to convince Confederation of African Football (Caf) that they are ready for the tournament.

Chan is a biennial international football championship organised by Caf for home-based African players.

The situation brings a sense of déjà vu. It is the same old pattern, too familiar to forget and so obvious it hurts.

It is a common scenario for countries to land hosting rights, which immediately spark endless celebrations. But soon after, reality checks in - the hosts are not ready and the costs remain prohibitive.

It has taken Gabon, which has a national debt of about $12.2 billion (Sh1.2 trillion), close to two years of preparation and a jaw-dropping $700 million (Sh72.2 billion) to stage this year’s games. Yet there is still more the Gabonese government could have done to achieve a successful tournament.

For instance, the government ought to have completed other stadia in good time, improved the transport system, and built more access roads.

So, is Kenya ready to host the Chan tournament? Will the Kenya government be keen to spend billions on a 22-day football show?

“I think Kenya can host the tournament. I remember in 1987, when they hosted the All Africa Games. By January 1987, Kenyans were not sure the games would take place.

But Kenya surprised Africa when they put up a splendid show that remains the best games ever in Africa’s history,” said Nicholas Musonye, Cecafa secretary general, who is also a Caf official.

NINE MONTHS

For Kenya’s Chan 2018 campaign, nothing much has been done, but according to Musonye, there is no need to hit the panic button just yet.

“There are about nine working months to go and it is possible this event can be hosted in Kenya, but there needs to be great commitment from the top (government). It will mean a lot.”

But the football administrator warned that a lot needs to be done and fast.

“We need at least four venues. My thinking and the thinking of many in Caf is that we can convert Nairobi into two venues - Nyayo and Kasarani, then renovate either Mombasa or Kisumu and Eldoret,” he said.

FIFA REQUIREMENTS

“This will mean we engage stadia management experts to ensure we do not run down both Nyayo and Kasarani. Still, a lot of work will need to be done on both stadiums because when they were put up, there were no structured stadia requirements now demanded by Caf and Fifa.”

Apart from stadia, Kenya will need at least 20 modern training grounds with changing rooms, floodlights and perimeter fences. They will also need to train about 1,000 volunteers in various fields.

A strong organising committee, which ought to have begun working two years ago, must be in place to deal with logistical issues concerning accommodation, transport, security, protocol and the actual competition.

According to Musonye, there is goodwill in Caf to have Kenya host the tournament, despite the obvious lull in preparations.

“Top Caf leadership and the technocrats really want this event in Kenya, but it will be heartbreaking if the country fails Caf for the second time in 20 years - having backed out of hosting the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.”

But Football Kenya Federation Communication and PR manager, Barry Otieno, says they hopeful of hosting a remarkable tournament.

“We are happy with the level of commitment shown by the government so far. Of course as we all know, infrastructure development, especially for such an important tournament, has to be meticulously planned and that is the reason why the development is taking longer than expected,” he said

“But the federation is optimistic that we will have all four stadiums ready in time for the tournament.”