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Why Talanta should be named Great Raila Amollo Odinga stadium

Talanta Sports City stadium when President William Ruto accompanied by Sports CS Salim Mvurya visited the facility on April 11, 2025. [Ministry of Sports, Standard]

President William Ruto’s 2025 Jamhuri Day declaration that Talanta Stadium will be named after Raila Odinga was an acknowledgement that Kenya’s democratic gains are inseparable from the sacrifices of reformists who dared to confront authoritarianism and injustice.

Raila stands as one of the most enduring of those reformists. Naming a signature national sports facility after him is therefore not only appropriate; it is historically sound. And yet, in true Kenyan fashion, reverence need not come without rhythm. That is why I suggest that the facility be styled the Great Raila Amollo Odinga (GRAO) Stadium. In Kenyan street slang, grao simply means a sports ground, making GRAO Stadium the perfect fusion of legacy, language and lived culture and unmatched grassroots connection.

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