Kenyans fume as Nyayo Stadium is closed from football teams but open for crusade

Kenyans have expressed their disappointment after images surfaced online of a planned crusade at Nyayo Stadium at a time the facility is closed from sporting activities.

Nyayo Stadium was closed last week for what the government described as a necessary intensive 10-day pitch maintenance and rejuvenation programme after hosting a number of sporting activities this year.

"From hosting the HSBC SVNS 2 in February, the FIFA Women's Series and Kip Keino Classic in April, the Athletics Kenya National Trials for the Commonwealth Games in June, to the Safari Sevens in October, Nyayo has faithfully opened her gates and rolled out her green carpet for one major sporting spectacle after another," said Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi.

The maintenance work at Nyayo will involve verticutting and fine cutting, followed by hollow-core aeration, several rounds of top dressing, light rolling and solid-tining aeration. The programme will also include weed and anti-fungal spraying, followed by fertiliser application to nourish the turf.

Following the closure, Kenyan Premier League teams were forced to look for alternative venues with Gor Mahia playing KCB at Moi Stadium in Embu while AFC Leopards hosted Kakamega Homeboyz at Mwea’s Wang'uru Stadium last weekend.

However, while the football clubs are forced to play away, the stadium seems to have been opened for a religious event as a crusade is planned at Nyayo on Sunday, November 8.

Even with pitch maintenance going on, images of giant TV screens at the stadium as well as tents and chairs in readiness for the crusade have not gone down well with Kenyans.

“Nyayo Stadium pitch is undergoing maintenance, with fertilizer treatment ongoing. I wonder why they do all this, only to allow pastors to destroy the grass with crusades,” a concerned observer shared online.

“Nyayo Stadium is getting ready to host a crusade. I thought they had closed it for renovations… now it’s going to host a religious event that’s going to completely destroy the playing surface,” said another one.

“Current state of Nyayo Stadium with the tent just outside the playing ground. What if this event was held at the parking lot where we have acres of space,” observed another one.

“Nyayo stadium is going to have a crusade this weekend and therefore no KPL match is going to be played there this weekend. I think Kenya we are not serious, is Nyayo stadium a sports centre or crusade functions???? Where's the ministry of sports???”

“I thought Uhuru Park and Central Park are the places to host such events. Stadiums are supposed to be built to host sporting events,” a concerned Kenyan advised.

“While everyone loves a good crusade, hosting such a massive gathering at Nyayo Stadium risks damaging the playing pitch. Uhuru Gardens would have been a much better venue.”

The concerns centre around fears that those attending the crusade might damage the playing surface although different accounts have it that the attendees will only use the stands and tartan track and not the pitch.

Nyayo Stadium is one of the venues designated as a training facility during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations which Kenya will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania.