CS Amina kicks out Wote Stadium contractor over slow progress

When sports CS Amina Mohammed and Social Services CS Simon Chelugui visited Wote Stadium, Makueni County [Courtesy]

Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has ordered the contractor working on the Sh350 million Wote Stadium, Makueni County to stop following months of stalled progress. 

Accompanied by Labour CS Simon Chelugui and Sports Kenya Chairman Fred Muteti, Amina toured the facility on Tuesday, February 2, expressing dissatisfaction on the “ongoing works” and faulting the contractor for never delivering in time. 

“I was here in June 2020 and the PS has been coming here very frequently and we have a fantastic briefing on this project. The contractor has always promised to achieve completion in the given timeline but it has never worked,” CS Amina said during the inspection.

“For them it’s like they are wasting their time being here because this work will never be done. We’d rather have them monitor projects that are moving,” she added.

Amina explained what led to her ministry cancelling the contract, having received recommendations from different parties.

“Coming to have discussions, discussions that can never be completed, results that can never be seen, commitments that will never be met but resources keep pouring in. From these recommendations, we cannot rely on this contractor anymore and we do not want to restart the process so we are going to assign the project to the National Youth Service,” explained Amina.

Ongoing work at the Wote Stadium, Makueni County [Courtesy]

In June last year, CS Amina noted the stadium construction had stalled due to lack of resources but promised work would continue since the money had been made available. 

Amina disputed claims that stalling of various facilities was propelled by divisive politics saying the government was serving equally all regions of the country without any bias regardless of any political waves.

She then informed press the contractor had assured the ministry of a swift construction exercise.

“The president will be here to officially open this stadium by October and any other stadium that will not be completed then we will have up to November to have the final works done so that we can have them opened to use too,” Amina said.

The stadium whose foundation stone was laid by Deputy President William Ruto on May 27, 2017, before stalling then once completed will have a hosting capacity of between 15,000 and 20,000 people.