The Nairobi City County government has announced plans to renovate Joe Kadenge Stadium, formerly known as City Stadium, to meet international standards.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the stadium will undergo refurbishment at a budget of Sh525 million. He said the renovated stadium will be equipped with facilities suitable for hosting various sporting disciplines, aiming to transform it into an internationally recognized sporting venue.
Sakaja, who was addressing Nairobi city dwellers who had gathered at Joe Kadenge Stadium in Makadara Constituency to celebrate the 60th Madaraka Day, also announced that his administration has contracted contractors to construct 17 kitchens that will be used to prepare food for all public schools.
“The process of grounding has already started. Learners will start eating their first meal when schools open in third term,” said the Governor.
“We are aware that most of the children go to school when hungry, this is the reason we want to have a school feeding programme in all public schools,” he added.
Sakaja further highlighted that due to the shortage of primary and secondary schools in Nairobi, he plans to collaborate with the Members of Parliament and the Women Representative of the county to increase the number of educational institutions in order to alleviate congestion and ensure better access to quality education for residents.
“We cannot depend on schools that were constructed by the colonial government, we need to add more, since the population of learners has increased,” Skaja said.
The Nairobi county boss also revealed that the county government successfully collected Sh1 billion in revenue from January to April.
He said the amount has been allocated to various important initiatives, such as the provision of medicine to health facilities, the payment of teachers in Early Childhood Development centers, the support of the Nairobi Deaf Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre, as well as road rehabilitation projects.
Governor Sakaja also shared that his government has implemented a unified business permit system, streamlining the various licenses and permits with the aim of facilitating a single business permit.
In the healthcare sector, Sakajas said City Hall has established an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mama Lucy Hospital, and plans are underway to install a second ICU at Mbagathi Hospital. Additionally, efforts have been made to set up a renal unit and a neonatal unit.
Sakaja also disclosed that over the past three years, health facilities in the county faced challenges in receiving essential drugs due to an outstanding debt of Sh. 1.8 million. However, he mentioned that a significant amount has already been paid, resulting in the county receiving drugs worth 200 million.
