Gov’t takes over construction of Mombasa Stadium ahead of AFCON

The historic stadium was demolished and reconstruction initiated during the tenure of former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho before the project stalled, leaving Coast football fans without a major venue for years.

Following an inspection tour of the site on Wednesday, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi announced that all preparations have been completed and construction will resume soon, with strong backing from both the national and county government.

“We thank the county government of Mombasa for allowing us, together with the Ministry of Defence, to ensure all stadiums are completed,” said Mwangi.

Mwangi revealed that the revamped facility will be the largest stadium in the Coast region, boasting a 15,000-seat capacity — significantly bigger than other regional venues.

“Mombasa Stadium will be the biggest stadium in the Coast region because others are 10,000-seaters, while this one will be a 15,000-seater. We hope it can be an alternative field for AFCON games, and we urge the contractor to ensure the work is completed on time. Once finished, we will propose it to CAF as one of the competition venues,” he added.

The Ministry of Defence, through the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), will oversee the construction. Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru confirmed that significant progress has already been made and the project is far from starting afresh.

“There is work done here so far — about 30 to 45 per cent — so we are not starting from zero. In one week’s time, we have agreed with the governor that there will be a final account to establish where the work has reached,” said Mariru.

He assured Mombasa residents that construction will resume within February and be completed within a year.

“Within this month of February, the Ministry of Defence through KDF will start this work. I can assure the residents of Mombasa that we are going to finish the works within a span of one year,” he said.

Mariru also highlighted the uniqueness of the stadium, noting that it will be Kenya’s only low-altitude stadium and one of the most distinct designs in the country.

“The Mombasa Stadium design is unique. As you can tell, it is steel — very heavy steel — so it will be one of the most unique stadiums,” he noted.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir reaffirmed the county government’s commitment to the project, stating that all outstanding payments for work already done will be settled to allow a smooth transition.

“We have agreed, out of the spirit of cooperation and partnership, that the county government will finish the liabilities with the contractor for the work already done. Thereafter, we hope the contractor will sign with the Ministry of Defence to finish the works before AFCON starts,” said Governor Nassir.

The governor also called for additional support from the national government to expand training infrastructure in the county.

“As a county, we have advertised Mwahima and Ziwani stadiums which we are going to facilitate, but we want the national government to help us in building Bububu Stadium so as to have training grounds for AFCON,” he added.