Kisii County government has embarked on the renovation of Gusii Stadium in Kisii town to improve its condition and meet the required Football Kenya Federation-Premier League (FKF-PL) standards.
The stadium will host the newly promoted Shabana FC’s home matches in the league during the 2023–2024 season.
Speaking during a homecoming ceremony for Shabana, Kisii Governor Simba Arati said the upgrade was necessitated by the challenges witnessed in the stadium during the National Super League matches, such as difficulty in crowd control and flooding of the pitch.
Mr. Arati, who is the Club’s patron, said they plan to construct a perimeter fence, improve the playing surface, and install a backup generator, an exercise that is expected to run for three months.
Shabana is expected to play their home matches at William Ole Ntimama Stadium in neighbouring Narok County as renovations continue at Gusii Stadium.
The Governor noted he had secured a sponsorship of Sh20 million from Chinese gaming firm Bangbet for Shabana FC and appealed for more sponsors and fans to support the team.
Arati said they were rolling out a massive online fans registration exercise to help enhance the fan base for Shabana, both locally and internationally, and boost avenues for additional support.
“In addition, my administration is embarking on a talent scouting and nurturing programme to help build a sustainable reserve for the best sportsmen and women to feed our local sports teams, as in soccer and other disciplines too,” he added.
By Mercy Osongo
