Upcoming athletes in Elgeyo-Marakwet County have expressed their doubts over the government promise to finish construction of the Kamariny Stadium within the next four months.
Speaking to Nation Sport on Thursday, the mainly long distance runners said the wait for a perfect Kamariny Stadium, that will fully accommodate their training, is expected to drag on.
Sports Cabinet Administrative Secretary Hassan Noor Hassan paid a visit to the stadium last week and flagged off commencement of construction by Funan Construction Company.
The group of athletes, however, say the same trend has repeated itself over the past three years with each year ending without formidable work having been done on the facility.
“What we saw last week is no different from what has been happening over the years. The stadium, which ironically sits at the ‘County of champions’ has been reduced to stones and unfinished structures. We have only been using half of it,” said Meshack Kipruto, an upcoming marathoner from the county.
Kipruto said the county and national government needs to work on a long lasting mechanism that will see construction of the stadium carried out successfully till it is ready for use.
“Other senior athletes from the county can afford to drive themselves to alternative training grounds in neighbouring counties.
“It is, however, hard for us who are still working our way up because we are usually hit by financial constraints and lack of training resources,” said Boniface Kimutai a half marathon racer.
WHY PROJECT STALLED
Construction at the Kamariny Stadium in Iten was halted in 2017 for what Elgeyo-Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos then termed as lack of funds. Construction briefly resumed in 2019 after the then Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa visited the site, but it again stopped after the contractor left the stadium.
“We are hopeful that this time round, the county government will work continuously with the national government to deliver the project. We have been waiting for it for long and its completion will lift everything sports across the county,” said the county’s Athletics Kenya secretary and seasoned coach Boniface Tiren.
