State terminates Kamariny Stadium contract
Sports
By
Stephen Rutto
| Sep 17, 2020
The contract for the construction of the historic Kamariny Stadium has been terminated as the Ministry of Sports races against time to ensure a number of stadiums are ready for use by end of December.
Construction works at Kamariny Stadium, which is located about two kilometres from the high altitude town of Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet County, have stalled since 2016.
Construction work started in the stadium in June this year after the Ministry disbursed some money to complete the stalled sports facility by August 30.
Before the restart of construction in June, the contractor — Funan — had deserted the site since January 2018.
According to a project coordination committee led by Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner Ahmed Omar, the contractor abandoned the site again sometimes in July this year, leading to the termination of the contract on Tuesday.
Yesterday, Omar said the contract will be advertised afresh as the government seeks to complete the project without further delay.
“The contract has been terminated immediately and another contractor with capacity to complete the work is welcome. We are now in the process of giving a notice through the project manager,” Omar said.
While explaining the reasons for the termination of the contract, Omar said the construction firm failed to proceed with the work regularly as stipulated in an agreement between it and the government.
He claimed that the contractor also failed to mobilise adequate construction machinery and human resource necessary for completion of the stadium within the stipulated time.
At least 3000 athletes training in Iten have been forced to travel to either University of Eldoret, Moi University sports grounds in Eldoret or Tambach Teachers training college after delays rocked the completion of Kamariny.
“The contractor has not been on site for a long time now. What he has on site is a skeleton workforce that is unable to carry out any meaningful work at the stadium,” Omar said.
He said the contractor has done 30 per cent of the construction work for four years.
On June 21, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed toured Kipchoge Keino and Kamariny stadiums and said that the State had released funds to complete the construction works,
In July, Pius Metto, the Sports Kenya director-general said the contractor has been paid and has no reason not to complete the project by the end of August.
According to Metto, the contractor had committed in a return-to-work agreement that the project would be completed and handed over by end of August.
“We have given the contractor a notice that he must deliver as per the return-to-work framework. The contractor had committed to complete the works by August and we are holding him to that agreement,” the DG said.
He reported that the contractor has only done a drainage system, yet he was expected to have started the construction of a pavilion and terraces.
“The contractor has the programme of works which indicates that the stadium will be handed over to Sports Kenya on August 30.”
Elgeyo Marakwet County government had constructed terraces on a section of the stadium but Metto said the project will dovetail with the ongoing works.
He said an agreement was reached with Omar that the contractor would be given authority to work within curfew hours to ensure the stadium was completed.