After long hours of carefully piecing it together, the first of the eight Talanta Stadium’s shields has been completed, sparking national pride, success and shared identity.
Although the two crossed spears are still being moulded, the first shield now stands majestically facing the main entrance of the new 60,000 seater football only stadium, a first in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking to the media as the gigantic cranes lifted heavy materials upwards, Major Victor King’e, a Project Manager from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), said every shield represents an entry point to the stadium.
The shield is derived from the national flag, signifying defence of national heritage while also helping fans easily access the entry points to the stadium during matches and other events.
“This will also add to the aspect of art within the facility and a sense of identity for the stadium. I believe it is the first of its kind in the region. It was a very ambitious project, but at the same time it is aspiring to become what we want to become as a nation, to become a first world nation,” said Major King’e, an architect.
BUILT WITH MILITARY PRECISION
Talanta Sports City has been delivered with military precision with day and night shifts. During the initial stages, the number of workers stood at 3,700, he said.
Talanta Sports City boasts of other crucial sports facilities such as the three separate training pitches for football, rugby and athletics. The Talanta stadium opens a new sporting era for the country and East African region.
A flagship project of President Ruto, the construction of Talanta Stadium started on March 1 last year and is expected to be completed in March 2026 in readiness for African Cup of Nations 2027.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is overseeing the country’s biggest construction in 38 years, playing the supervisory role with China Road and Bridge Corporation as the main contractor charged with delivering the project.
“The key facilities are the football and rugby pitch. The stadium is unique in the sense that it will be the first in the country without a running track inside the stadium, so it will only be primarily for football and rugby,” said Major King’e.
A COMPLETE SPORTS HUB
In addition to that, we will have three training pitches, one of which will act as a smaller, think of it as a mini stadium, with a grandstand with a seating capacity of 1,500 spectators, he said.
So the uniqueness of this stadium is that you will not just have the main stadium, but you will have three embedded training facilities, making it a facility that can work independently, especially during a football tournament, he explained.
He added that the stadium was designed by prioritizing accessibility, noting it can be accessed from the city centre through Ngong Road and also from Southern Bypass.
