As Kenya prepares to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the construction of Talanta stadium along Ngong road is progressing well.
The stadium will be the first of international sporting facility constructed in the country in decades. In fact, Moi International Sports Centre at Kasarani was built way back in 1987, close to 4 decades ago.
The Chinese firm building the facility has promised to deliver it by December 2025, with enough time to spare before Kenya hosts the competition alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
The project is being undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) under the supervision of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the Ministry of Sports.
While everyone has seen the renders and the plans, very little has been mentioned about the cost of building the stadium. It appears that there has been a deliberate effort to withhold this information from the public.
The stadium was not budgeted for, and this has been explained away as being a Public Private Partnership (PPP). However, just like with other PPP projects such as the controversial Adani airport deal, the details in this one have remained tucked away in government offices.
It was therefore surprising when last week, Bamburi Cement – a major subcontractor in the project, let the cat out of the bag.
Bamburi is the project’s preferred cement supplier, providing the material all the way from the foundation.
While boasting about this accomplishment, Bamburi Cement PLC revealed the cost of the 60,000-seat stadium as $350 million, or roughly Ksh 45.3 billion in today’s exchange rate.
This would make Talanta Sports City the single most expensive sporting facility in Kenya.
The project is being undertaken by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) under the supervision of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the Ministry of Sports.
Meanwhile, here are some of the latest photos from the site.
