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For many years, the Gilgil Sub-county Stadium has been reduced to a political arena as sports takes a back seat due to poor infrastructure.
However, the stadium is now rising from the ashes as the Nakuru County government has started renovating the neglected facility in the heart of the dusty Gilgil township.
A modern changing room with six toilets and bathrooms and a caretaker’s office is the first step towards giving the pitch a new dose of medicine.
Some of the talented sports stars that have sprung up from Gilgil include former Sofapaka coach John Baraza, who started his trade in Gilgil while playing for the defunct Gilgil Telecommunication Industries (GTI).
Other players who started their career at the Gilgil stadium and are now playing in top flight soccer include Obadiah Ndege and Hillary Wandera, both of Tusker FC, and Ulinzi Stars’ second choice goalkeeper Jeckton Odhiambo.
The delayed renovation is part of the county government’s initiative to refurbish sports facilities in the cosmopolitan county.
Some of the teams featuring in the Nakuru County Football Kenya Federation (FKF) league, such as National Youth Service and Anti-Stock Theft Unit are no longer using the pitch.
The two disciplined forces teams are now using their training grounds at the camp as their home grounds and this has denied many football fans in Gilgil a chance to watch local talents.
Other teams which have been forced avoid this dilapidated stadium for their home matches include Three Start FC, Gilgil Langalanga FC and Gilgil All Stars, who feature in the Gilgil FKF sub branch league.
The field currently has overgrown bushes that ring the stadium inside and outside the perimeter wall.
Interestingly, the field has no goal posts and only metal stabs are protruding from the ground and are now used to tether livestock grazing in the six acres field.
Outside the field, matters are even worse as there are unplanned structures and eateries surrounding the stadium and owners of the structures and traders dump their waste outside the stadium reducing it into a mini dumpsite. The stench of decomposing food waste hits your nose as the stadium is separated by just 10 metres from a row of shops and eateries.
Gilgil Stadium is a stark reminder of how land grabbers encroached the land meant for the parking lot and subdivided the land into commercial and residential plots. The pitch is now a grazing field as sheep and urchins from the nearby Tam Tam estate use it as their base to take hard drugs.
The pitch has no toilets, and football fans and team officials attending matches are often forced to stand as there are no seats inside the stadium nor a roof, leaving them to contend with harsh weather conditions during open matches.
“This stadium has been neglected for a long time and it is refreshing to see the county government launch an initiative to renovate it to regain its lost glory,” said George Ouma who represents Gilgil in the Naivasha FKF sub branch.
Ouma says that the stadium had been allocated Sh3 million for renovation in the past regime but nothing was done. Ouma said at least two dressing rooms for both men and women will be constructed according to the current plan.
However, he said that efforts by stakeholders to establish how much will be used in the current renovation exercise has borne no results.
“The information we are getting is that the Bills of Quantities have also factored in floodlights, water connection and spectator stands. We are told it is being renovated in phases. We are waiting to see how the stadium will take shape,” said Ouma.
According to the area MCA, Jane Wangui, a total of Sh2 million from the ward kitty was set aside for the renovations work of the stadium.
The total acreage was about 12 acres, but it has been reduced to six acres thanks to grabbers who have encroached it up to the main entrance.
“The county government has promised to construct fans sheds and the money will be included in the supplementary budget in the subsequent financial estimates,” said Wangui.
“The toilets were a priority and we have renovated the perimeter wall and the contractor should be able to complete the dressing rooms and toilets in the next one or two months as he had been given three months to complete the work,” added Wangui.
Sunday: Keringet Stadium, Nakuru County.
