Nyeri Town Member of Parliament (MP) Ngunjiri Wambugu has alleged money allocated to renovate Ruring'u Stadium has been misappropriated.
Ruring’u is the biggest stadium in the Mount Kenya region and has been serving Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua and Nyeri counties, and the MP has alleged the renovation work has stalled even though a lot of money has been set aside for renovation.
“Yesterday [Friday] I toured Ruring'u Stadium. I wanted to see where the Shs106 million which as is indicated as work done in the stadium so far, has gone. There is absolutely nothing to see on the ground. Nothing! The perimeter wall you see was constructed by the County Government," Wambugu said on a post on his Facebook page.
“This is unacceptable.
"Shs20 million was paid at the inception of the contract, Shs44 million has been paid via certificates and 42 million that’s pending worth of unpaid certificates. Shs106 million is also 33% of the 320 million needed to build our stadium.
“This means on the ground we should see close to the one-third worth of work required. But in the literal sense.”
The official added he will start the process of investigating why the work has stalled although reports indicate the money has been paid to contractors already.
“In the coming days, I will want to understand who was paid this money, and what they say they did with it. I also want to know why the works have stalled despite being launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta over three years ago,” he added.
In 2018, Sports Principal Secretary Ambassador Peter Kaberia visited the site on October 9 and confirmed the renovation project was about to start.
“The money is there and I can assure you it is only a matter of distribution from Treasury,” Kaberia was quoted as saying then.
Once complete, Ruring'u stadium will have the capacity to accommodate 20,000 fans. It will have a tartan track, four gates, a VIP terrace with changing rooms, a sports gallery shop and a restaurant.
Phase two is expected to feature a swimming pool, basketball and volleyball courts on the southern side of the stadium, and a warm-up track.
