A cocktail of smell pierces through the pores of my combat face mask as it announces its presence when, together with the rest of the Nation Sport team, we approach the gates of Kisumu’s Moi Stadium.
But just as I enjoy the smell of fresh water melons and other fruits from the newly established “Corona Market” – as traders and locals popularly call it – pungent smell from the Kachok dumpsite quickly confuses my nostrils.
Once a revered facility that hosted continental matches, a tour around Moi Stadium reveals a sad state of affairs as bushy tracks, terraces, dilapidated infrastructure characterise the facility.
Traders who had been evicted from Kibuye Market and other smaller markets have been resettled at the stadium’s parking lot.
A closer look inside reveals they are using the VIP toilets, which are stinking, but the hundreds of traders have no other choice but use them.
Directly opposite the toilets, are the two changing rooms with four showers, but these are too small to accommodate a whole team, including team management.
The windows are also broken, while the benches where the players are to sit are not well managed.
The VIP area, whose capacity should be between 1,500 and 2,000, has no seats and we are told that when the facility is hired, plastic chairs have to be brought along.
The terraces, which are approximated to have a capacity of 8,000, are dilapidated with grass growing all over.
The only functioning one – the “Russia” as it is popularly referred to – has its iron sheet roof destroyed and is surrounded by shrubs.
Around five youths can be seen slashing the compound and when we engaged them, they revealed that they have been doing that for five days now, but the area is very bushy and the heavy rainfall just makes it worse as grass continues to grow.
The running track cannot be seen and can only be compared to a garden with weeds.
The worst is the steeplechase water jump which is covered with soil and shrubs that would make Ezekiel Kemboi and Beatrice Chepkoech seeth with rage.
At another corner, some hoteliers have pitched tent where they make foods and sell to the traders at the parking lot.
The football pitch itself is fairly good with the artificial turf intact, but the black rubber granules appear to be more visible than the green fibres.
The bench areas are also covered in grass.
A look at the floodlights, you will notice that some of the bulbs are missing.
The four flood lights surrounding the pitch have 30 bulbs of 2,000 watts each.
“We need a sub-station here because the lights cannot be lit using a three-phase line and there is also no back-up generator in the stadium. “This could have helped in hosting matches and training exercises at night which will bring in money for the maintenance of the stadium,” said a football enthusiast we met at the facility.
He also proposes that once the market is removed from the parking lot, there should be a smaller football pitch which can accommodate those who cannot afford to pay for the main stadium.
For Kenyan Premier League matches, the host football club hire the grounds for Sh20,000 while the National Super League and Division One teams part with Sh10,000 each.
“If only the stakeholders could take this facility serious, pump money and use it wisely, we would be having a world class stadium and talented players going far,” he added.
But despite its numerous problems and potential on the other hand, woes bedeviling its rehabilitation continue unabated.
Corruption allegations, inadequate funds, a filthy dumpsite and a temporary market continue to choke Kisumu’s Moi Stadium.
The dumpsite, whose sections were evacuated, is slowly returning with many trucks seen throughout the day dumping waste in a section blocked by iron sheets now spilling next to where the traders are.
Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o had last year revealed plans to transform the eight-acre Kachok dumpsite land into a recreational park to a tune of Sh130 million with an aim of reclaiming it and also coming up with a smaller football pitch.
This is yet to be commenced.
The county government had used approximately Sh300 million to completely evacuate the eight-acre-mountain of solid waste that has been a menace to Kisumu residents for over 35 years.
There are plans already to develop a waste management centre at the 84-acre piece of land at Chiga.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is also probing alleged skewed tendering process for the planned ultramodern stadium complex that is said to have seen misappropriation of Sh100 million.
Moi Stadium was one of the stadiums across the country that were to be upgraded to world class standards following the promise by the Jubilee administration during their pre-election campaigns.
But even with the goodwill of the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, nothing is being done to improve the facility.
In fact, the county government diverted the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Amina Mohamed, during her planned tour of the stadium and instead took her to Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground where, together with Governor Nyong’o, they officially opened Sh37 million Chichwa Market.
During this visit, the CS announced that President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed her to have Jomo Kenyatta grounds transformed in to a world class sports complex by December this year.
When asked about the improvement of the Moi Stadium, she evaded the question saying her visit was purely on the Jomo Kenyatta Grounds project.
The lack of focus by the national government is evident and worrying to the locals and sports men in the lakeside city that has been a hub of raw talent.
The governor, in an interview with Nation Sport, however maintained that as a county government, they will continue with their planned construction of the Sh1.3 billion sports facility.
“The national government just joined our work on Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground but this does not stop our plans. I also asked them about Moi Stadium and they promised to chip in later,” said Nyong’o.
He stated that his focus is have Kisumu as a sports centre because of the talent from within and the neighbouring counties.
The county boss stated that the time-frame for the construction and completion of a 20,000 capacity Moi Stadium should be in 18 months upon commencement.
Despite being the hub of talent in the western region, the facility still cannot hold major continental matches because of its terrible state.
