• OTHERS

• Frank Rotich 1 hr ago

Bomet County begins construction of Sh950m Kipchamba Stadium

Construction of the new Kipchamba Stadium has officially started in Bomet County, even as questions continue to grow over the future of the stalled Bomet IAAF Stadium project where more than Sh300 million had already been spent.

The new Sh950 million stadium project was launched on Thursday and is expected to be completed within nine months. Leaders who attended the groundbreaking ceremony included Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot.

The new Kipchamba Stadium will be built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under the supervision of the Kenya Defence Forces.

According to Mariru, the stadium will have a seating capacity of 10,000 and will meet international standards. The facility will include an eight-lane athletics track, football pitch, basketball and netball courts, changing rooms, VIP and VVIP sections, bathrooms and other important facilities.

Mariru also revealed that the Kenya Defence Forces are currently supervising the construction of 27 stadiums across the country as Kenya continues to improve sports infrastructure ahead of future international competitions.

Once complete, the stadium will become the home ground of APS Bomet, which currently hosts matches in Kericho and Kisii due to lack of a proper home venue.

The new project now appears to officially replace the long-delayed Bomet IAAF Stadium that had earlier been launched by former governor Isaac Ruto. President William Ruto had in 2023 directed the Sports Department to complete the stalled stadium within one year, but the order was never implemented.

Later, the government handed over the disputed land to Bomet University after ownership disagreements between the county government and the university.

President Ruto recently confirmed that a new parcel of land had been identified for the fresh stadium project, saying the move would also allow expansion of university facilities.

Sports stakeholders believe the new stadium will help nurture young talent in Bomet County, a region known for producing top athletes such as Beatrice Chepkoech, Timothy Cheruiyot and Mercy Cherono.