Siaya town will, in the next ten months, inaugurate a modern multimillion-shilling stadium complete with a FIFA standard football pitch, Siaya county secretary, Joseph Ogutu has said.
Ogutu said that works on the half-a-billion-shilling project was almost complete following the delivery of roof trusses for the main pavilion.
Speaking today when he led top county government officials to preside over the delivery of the first batch of the trusses, Ogutu who was flanked by the chief of staff, Colonel (retired) Cyrus Oguna and the county executive committee member for governance, Agunda Ochanda, said they expect the contractor to finish the work by June next year.
“It is our projection that between March and June next year, everything else will have been done and the stadium should be in use,” said the county secretary.
He said that the facility will be hosting various games and events, adding that it will help open up space for sports, cultural activities, and investment in the county.
According to the county government, they are working with Sports Kenya, a body legally mandated to oversee the construction of stadia in the country to maintain standards.
The officials say that the football pitch will have enough space as recommended by FIFA and international best practices so as to attract international clubs and events.
They say that whereas FIFA standards demand that the pitch must be 64 metres in width, the new Siaya stadium will have a pitch whose width is 73 metres” he says adding that this will be above the international standard of 68 metres.
The officials further say that whereas FIFA recommends that a standard pitch should be not less than 100 metres and not above 120 metres; Siaya’s will be 105 metres, well within the specifications.
The stadium, says the county officials, will be of the standard of Wembley, Old Trafford or Emirates and will have a modern VIP lounge, dressing rooms, media centre and a police post.
By Philip Onyango
