The construction of Kirigiti stadium in Kiambu County stands at 30 per cent in only 10 months since the contractor was awarded Sh596 million stadium.
Leading a high powered delegation of Principal Secretaries from the National Development Technical Committee (NDITC) projects assessment in Kiambu County yesterday, the team expressed satisfaction at the speed with which the contractor had gone.
Kiambu County commissioner Mr. Wilson Wanyanga while briefing them when they paid a courtesy call ahead of a tour of selected development projects in the county said the contractor was serious and that he had exerted all hissy energy including machinery on the project to ensure that he delivered it within the time frame.
“The contractor is a very committed person and when you visit the site even without notice, you will find work going on in all sectors ”he told the permanent secretaries” The team that was led by Major Retired Gordon Kihangwa from the ministry of Public Works included Esther Koimett for Broadcasting and Communications, Esther Mochache for Health, .Francis Owino for Industrialization, Professor Fred Sigor for Wildlife, Ibrahim Mohammed for Defence, Enosh Onyango Momanyi for Physical Planning and Mr. Harry Kimutai for Livestock development.
Major Kihangwa lauded the Administrator for his close supervision on the ground saying the Government relied on his wisdom to ensure that contractors awarded specific projects worked round the clock to deliver the projects so that the worth of the task payer’s money was seen.
The team told Mr. Wanyanga to monitor closely all the projects in his jurisdiction and feel free to escalate any challenge affecting any project to the National implementation committee. “We know some delay can affect some of the projects because of bureaucratic processes which can be unlocked if you closely worked with the committee” he stated.
On completion of Kirigiti stadium located near Kiambu town it will host 16,000 people and will comprise two basketball courts, a football pitch and an athletics track. Historically, Kirigiti stadium was only known for cricket and the ongoing facelift is envisaged to decongest stadiums in Nairobi especially for football matches.
During the tour of the projects in the county, the team of Permanent secretaries lauded the contractor for the skills and professionalism with which he was constructing the facility. He also informed the team that on completion, it will be completely covered so that it was usable during all seasons. He added that it will be possible to remove the cover during normal weather so that the players can enjoy the natural sunshine but when it rained, it could be covered to protect the users from being rained on.
The Kirigiti stadium was a brainchild of the first Governor of Kiambu Mr. William Kabogo. When he lost the election to the second governor Mr. Ferdinand Waititu, he promised to complete the project but no sooner had he settled on any tangible project than he was arraigned in court for alleged corruption and misuse of public funds.
According to the contractor, the construction work will be completed on May 28th, 2021. After touring the stadium, the team headed to Kiuu River secondary school and Mangu Primary school in Gatundu North to check the compliance of MOH protocols for students amid covid-19.
The team reiterated the call by President Uhuru Kenyatta on the need for school heads to be innovative by ensuring that learning continued without any hitch and that children were cushioned from the viral infection which hit the country in March 2020.
by Lydia Shiloya
