Ruto To Make Kenyans Pay Fees For Use Of Masinde Muliro Stadium
Ruto noted that by charging entrance fees, the county would be able to properly run and maintain the stadium to its required standards
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
President William Ruto has announced that once the construction of Masinde Muliro Stadium in Kanduyi Constituency is completed, the County Government of Bungoma, once it receives the facility, will charge entrance fees for anyone intending to use it.
Speaking on Sunday, June 2 during a prayer and thanksgiving service at Amutala Stadium in Kimilili Constituency, the Head of State assured residents of Bungoma County that the stadium would be completed, ordering contractors working on the stadium not to leave the site until it is complete.
"We have agreed with the governor that when that stadium is complete, we will hand over to the county and anyone who wants to use the stadium should pay. No one should be allowed to access the stadium and spoil it as well as the grass pitch, use the facilities and just walk out," he revealed.
Ruto noted that by charging entrance fees, the county would be able to properly run and maintain the stadium to its required standards, directing that the county administration should deny its access to anyone not willing to pay to use the stadium.
Masinde Muliro Stadium will be of international standards that even Arsenal or Manchester United can play there- President Ruto#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/XH42EVNHmx — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) June 2, 2024
"We must put in place the management for the stadium so that when someone has a show, he or she can host it there at a fee that will be used to maintain the stadium so that it does not deteriorate. If someone is not willing to pay, he or she can carry out their affairs on the roads and can go to many other grounds,"
He continued, “We must be responsible stewards of public resources.”
Ruto also assured the residents that the stadium would be renovated to international standards, to the point that it can host even international friendly matches.
At the same time, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba announced earlier today that the stadium would be completed in a span of six months, and would be fitted with floodlights, permanent seats, a seamless Teflon canopy, and a standard pitch before the end of the six months
“Masinde Muliro Stadium in Kanduyi, Bungoma County, is just a glimpse of our revolutionary Sports and Creatives Infrastructure Masterplan that we are rolling out countrywide with deliberate, intentional, and structured focus,”
“In three months, we have transformed an abandoned construction site into a sparkling arena fit for national day celebrations," Namwmba noted.
The CS for Sports previously stated that the Masinde Muliro Stadium is part of the ministry’s transformative Sports and Creatives Infrastructure Masterplan “which is guiding our deliberate efforts to upgrade this long-neglected sector.”
Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka in a past interview indicated that a strategy was in the works which would see Kanduyi (now Masinde Muliro Stadium) offered as one of the venues for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the event Kenya's bid was (eventually) successful.
During the 61st Madaraka Day celebrations on Saturday, June 1, President Ruto directed the immediate surrender of the land located near the stadium to allow for the facility to be expanded, with the President noting that the land near the stadium was state-owned. Therefore, he urged those residing in the said parcels of land to vacate.
Ruto's directive came a day after Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura revealed that the government spent Ksh807 million to undertake renovations on the first phase of the stadium which has a sitting capacity of 40,000, ahead of the Madaraka Day celebrations.
The second phase of renovating the Masinde Mulio stadium will cover terraces, perimeter fence, and access passes, a matter Mwaura added is nearly complete at an additional cost of Ksh790 million, with the cost of the two phases coming to a total of Ksh1.6 billion.
