Talanta Stadium: Government Confirms When External Works and Training Facilities Will Be Ready

The government has issued yet another update over the ongoing construction works at Talanta Stadium, which is being prepared in readiness for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Less than a week since touring the facility last Friday and confirming that work was 80 percent done, the latest update indicates that the 60,000-seater state-of-the-art facility is now 85 per cent complete.

On Tuesday, Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, alongside his Defence counterpart Soipan Tuya, led another delegation that also included Principal Secretaries Elijah Mwangi (Sports) and Dr Patrick Mariru (Defence) among others for an extensive tour of the stadium and held a meeting at the Talanta Sports City Complex.

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With final touches on the stadium’s exterior, Mvurya confirmed when this will be completed as well as the training facilities adjacent to the giant football-only facility.

“We are impressed by the steady progress, with the project now at 85% completion,” Mvurya said via a social media update. “The contractor is working round the clock to finalise external works and the training facilities by the end of February, paving the way for subsequent auxiliary works to be undertaken seamlessly.”

“We also reviewed the progress of seven other key projects, all at advanced stages of construction, that are critical to the successful delivery of AFCON 2027,” he added.

“A whole-of-government approach has been firmly invested to ensure comprehensive preparedness, even as we advance towards preparatory engagements with CAF in the near future.”

The training facilities include two main outdoor pitches while roads, water, energy, security and ICT are some of the other things that will need to be in place to get the facility up and running.

Meanwhile, the main pitch will be among the final things to work on after Mariru confirmed that world football governing body FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) have some standards that must be met for the playing surface.

“The last bit that is most critical for football is the pitch itself. The drainage system is being done and finally, we will have the grass done,” Mariru said last Friday.

“According to the requirements of CAF and FIFA, we will have the grass grown naturally. We are going to plant the grass and it will take two-three months. We will leave it to grow naturally. That we cannot speed up, but everything else will be done as we have said.”

Besides Talanta, Kasarani Stadium is the other host venue earmarked for AFCON 2027 matches in Kenya while Nyayo Stadium, Ulinzi Complex and Kasarani Annex will be among the other training facilities in the country.