President William Ruto on Friday opened Talanta Plaza, Upper Hill, Nairobi that will be the headquarters of the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts offices.
The 16-storey building will also host Sports Fund, sports federations as well as the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) offices.
Talanta Plaza is formerly NOC-K Plaza.
President William Ruto (left) officially commissions the Talanta Plaza in Upper Hill, Nairobi on September 1, 2023.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
The President said the commissioning of Talanta Plaza reflects the commitment he has for sports, youth and the arts in the country.
“This will speed up our Talanta Hela flagship to monetise and help grow these sectors. This will empower the growth of young talent in sports and the arts, ‘” said Ruto.
“We are glad our sportsmen and women and more so those is arts have a place to call home,” he added.
The President said that the Talanta Plaza will bring together all the ministry’s departments under one roof, which will accelerate and harness service delivery and collaboration.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba said the office will make their work and delivery easier.
Namwamba said they inherited an abandoned construction site but the government has within one year managed to put up a modern plaza.
“I want to thank the President for making this happen,” said Namwamba.
Council of Governors deputy chairman Ahmed Abdullahi, who is also the Governor of Wajir, said Talanta Plaza is a bacon of hope, shared vision and better future for the country’s youth.
“This is where the talent in sports and arts will be nurtured,” said Abdullahi.
Sports Fund chairman Jack Tuwei, who is also the Athletics Kenya President, said the building will host the Talanta Hall of Fame Walk where photos of Kenya’s sports and arts legends will be displayed.
The government used close to Sh1 billion to rescue NOC-K Plaza from going under the hammer in 2020.
Having run out of options to rescue the building, NOC-K turned to the government in March 2019 to save the project and complete it into a home for sports in Kenya.
Sidian Bank, who were the main financier, had the stalled Sh1.2 billion NOC-K headquarters under the hammer in advertisements in the Daily Nation of March 18 and March 25, 2019.
This is after NOC-K were unable to pay money owed to Sidian Bank.
NOC-K president Paul Tergat appealled to President Uhuru Kenyatta to help his team rescue NOC-K’s planned headquarters from being auctioned as opposition leader Raila Odinga also urged the government to help stop the intended sale.
Tergat’s team that had just taken charge at NOC-K 15 months before the intended auction, had laboured in vain to rescue the project that had stalled for three years.
It had been estimated that the construction of the building would cost an estimated Sh1.2 billion.
Sidian Bank was the main financier of the project, having put in Sh400 million as the first installment of a planned Sh800 million loan package.
NOC-K was to provide the remaining Sh400 million but failed hence construction stopped while Sidian declined to remit the second installment.
NOC-K took the loan from Sidian Bank in 2011, and construction of the building started the same year, only to stall in 2016.
After the appeal, NOC-K and the government then held extensive discussions on the future of the building as directed by the former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The discussions were led by the Ministry of Sports, the Presidential Delivery Unit, the Attorney General’s office and Sports, Art and Culture Development Fund.
According to a report tabled during NOC-K General Assembly on November 27, 2020, the government assembled a technical team to undertake an analysis (special audit) of the project takeover including the amounts payable supported by documentation.
The government pledged to repay the loan, contractor, engineers and architects.
Upon payment of the outstanding figures and liabilities, NOC-K transferred ownership of the building to the government.
NOC-K have since moved their offices to Gallant House, Parklands, Nairobi at a cost of Sh49 million.
