Kenyan pitches pose grave danger to football fans

By JAMES WAINDI

It would not be business as usual for local football enthusiasts and football chiefs when the season kicks off next month after the release of a 47-page Report on Stadia Safety and Security Survey.

The survey, which was prepared by G4S Events Operations Director Jim MacDonald, highlighted a host of loopholes on the Kenyan stadia and gave recommendations after five fans died during the October 23 stampede at Nyayo National Stadium, when Gor Mahia clashed with archrivals AFC Leopards.

The main thing in the report is that all the stadia, which the team visited, do not meet the necessary security requirements and was a security threat to football enthusiasts.

While receiving the report yesterday, Sports minister Paul Otuoma said the Government was committed to ensuring safety of fans and vowed to implement the report immediately after studying it.

"I am glad that G4S Security Company, which has 24 years of experience of providing safety and secure stewarding services to a wide and diverse range of football stadia in the United Kingdom and Ireland was selected to do the survey.

"I acknowledge that indeed, we in the sporting fraternity in Kenya had taken security for granted until disaster struck," Otuoma said.

He added: "The fans would not have died in the stampede at Nyayo National Stadium had certain measures recommended in this report been in place.

"As I promised when I launched the technical committee to look into safety measures in our stadia, the findings of this audit report will be studied carefully and where possible start the implementation immediately."

MacDonald, said the report had been prepared further to an approach and inquiry from the Kenyan Premier League seeking assistance on how to develop and improve the safety and security levels of its six stadia.

They visited Nyayo Stadium, Kasarani, Thika Municipal Stadium, Mombasa Municipal Stadium, City Stadium and the Hope Centre Grounds before compiling the report.

"We had seven criteria points including stadium infrastructure, staffing of the stadium, security, police and turnstile operations, communications, training, ingress into the stadia and ticketing, seating and external perimeter fence around the stadia.

These points acted as indicators for us and gave an understanding of the present condition of the stadia that were visited," said MacDonald. Nyayo National Stadium, the venue of the fatal stampede last October was found to be without a designated safety officer in overall charge of events planning and utilising all resources.