One of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s flagship projects, the Dandora Stadium, is yet to go into use despite gobbling up millions of shillings.
The ultramodern stadium, which was expected to be completed by July 2019 is actually falling apart, according to recent media reports.
The stadium, located in the populous Embakasi North sub county in Nairobi, was billed as a game changer, which would provide youths a chance to nurture their talents in a modern facility. The governor’s good intentions appear to have been frustrated, at least for now.
Trouble began when allegations of corruption in the project were made, attracting the attention of the country’s anti-graft agencies and bringing work on the site to a halt. The project was already at an advanced stage with seats and artificial turf already in place. Only about 20 percent of the work was pending.
When completed, the 12,000-seater Dandora Stadium would have been the first facility in East Africa to use electronic advertising boards that most Kenyans only see in European football leagues. The stadium has a reception area, dressing rooms for home and away teams each of which consists of lockers, sinks, shower rooms, urinals, and toilets.
It is unclear how long it will take for the project to get back on track. Since then, Nairobi has been partially taken over by a new entity (Nairobi Metropolitan Service) and confusion reigns over who between NMS and Governor Sonko will oversee the completion of the much-anticipated facility.
The Governor had also planned to construct similar facilities at Jacaranda Grounds, Kariokor, Kihumbuini and Woodley grounds.
