Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani says her administration is out to refurbish and upgrade sporting facilities across the coastal county to drive sports development.
Achani says the devolved government is out to give a facelift to sports pavilions, stadiums, athletic tracks, gymnasiums, boxing arenas, swimming pools, and other similar places where members of the general public assemble to engage in physical exercise, participate in athletic competition, or witness sporting events.
Governor Achani accompanied by her deputy Chirema Kombo and the County Executive Committee Member for Social Services and Talent Management Francisca Kilonzo, says the sporting facilities needed to be improved to get more of the youth interested in and involved in sporting activities.
She reiterated her administration’s commitment to deepening sports development by investing in the construction and revamp of sporting facilities in Kwale.
Achani cited the ongoing construction works of the Sh 450 million Kwale County stadium which is taking shape at an unparalleled speed.
“Once complete the state-of-the-art Kwale stadium will be a 21st-century model edifice capable of hosting national and international sporting events,” she said.
She says the standard 3,000-seater capacity stadium will have football and basketball pitches, among other amenities such as changing rooms, a restaurant, an athletics tartan track, medical rooms, washrooms and floodlights.
The Governor says currently the devolved unit is putting up perimeter walls for sports fields in the 20 administrative wards, with most of them already consisting of the dais, changing rooms, and adequate toilets for both players and spectators.
Achani was speaking when she presided over the groundbreaking for the construction of a dais and open terraces at Nyumba Sita and Mvindeni sports fields in Ramisi and Ukunda wards respectively in Msambweni Sub-County, to boost sports development in the region.
“By constructing the 500-seater rural stadiums, we aim to provide a conducive environment for athletes and sports enthusiasts to engage in various sporting activities,” she said.
She noted that the new facilities will be equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, including proper playing surfaces, seating arrangements, and other essential requirements to ensure a seamless sporting experience.
The coastal county boss says professionals were engaged in the new rural stadiums, while locals were employed to provide unskilled labor in carrying out minimal works that require less supervision.
“We are committed to supporting sports by constructing suitable infrastructure that promotes and facilitates sporting activities,” she said, adding that the initiative will cement the place of Kwale as a potential sporting powerhouse.
She says sports play a crucial role in the community by impacting the overall well-being of individuals and also promoting physical fitness, mental well-being, and social integration among the youth and the general population.
Governor Achani says it’s high time the youth shun drug consumption and substance abuse and embrace sports so they can be self-reliant and become role models in society.
By Hussein Abdullahi
