Sh950m Bomet Stadium Construction Starts as Earlier Project Stalls

The National Government has officially broken ground on the construction of the new Kipchamba Stadium in Bomet County. The project, valued at Sh950 million, is intended to serve as a 10,000-seater sports complex located in Kipranye village.

This development follows the apparent abandonment of the Bomet IAAF Stadium, a 30,000-seater project that has already consumed more than Sh300 million in public funds. The older facility has been stalled for years, with the county government previously withholding funding before the site was handed over to a university.

Principal Secretary for Defence Patrick Mariru and Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi led the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. They were joined by Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot to mark the handover of the site to the contractor.

China Road and Bridge Corporation has been tasked with the construction, while the Kenya Defence Forces will provide technical supervision. This arrangement mirrors the management structure used for the ongoing Talanta Stadium in Nairobi, where military oversight is being used to manage timelines and costs.

The new facility will include an eight-lane athletics track, a standard football pitch, and specialized courts for netball and basketball. Additional amenities planned for the site include VIP and VVIP lounges, modern changing rooms, and a kitchen.

Construction is expected to take nine months, which would allow the local football club, APS Bomet FC, to host home matches within the county next season. The club has been forced to use venues in Kericho and Kisii because the stalled IAAF stadium was declared unfit for top-tier competitions.

Questions regarding the Sh300 million already spent on the IAAF stadium remain. President Ruto had previously ordered the Department of Sports to complete the stalled facility within one year during a visit in early 2023, but that directive was never realized.

In February 2024, President Ruto eventually handed the stalled IAAF stadium over to Bomet University during its charter award ceremony. This move effectively ended its prospects as a public sports complex, as the university is expected to repurpose the infrastructure for its own needs.

Governor Barchok confirmed that the county government purchased the land for the new Kipchamba project to ensure sports development continues. He noted that the facility would act as a primary training ground for regional athletes who have historically lacked modern infrastructure.

While the new project promises a modern home for local sports, the sight of the previous project's concrete shells serves as a reminder of the challenges facing infrastructure continuity in the region. Local leaders, however, emphasized that the new nine-month timeline will be strictly monitored to avoid the same pitfalls that hampered previous efforts.