Kenyan sports goes rural

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Participants during the Safaricom Marathon, which was held at the Lewa Conservancy in June. file 

By EVELYN SITUMA

In Summary

The organisers of the Lewa Marathon have excelled in such arrangements and runners are often certain of not only what is expected of them, but the logistics of the event, including accommodation.

Kisumu recently opened its doors to visitors from out of town in style with the unveiling of the newly remodelled Moi Stadium, a clear demonstration of the seriousness counties are attaching to efforts to attract sporting events.

 

The stadium, which had languished in a sorry state and missed out on major tournaments for two decades, basked in sporting glory when it hosted home favourites Gor Mahia FC versus GFE 105 FC. The two teams were participating in the GoTV Shield tournament and what a thriller it proved to be, with the KPL champions sensationally knocked out 4-2 on post-match penalties by the relatively unknown Eldoret-based minnows.

The anticipation by fans to see the new grounds put to the test in such a high-profile match was evident in the huge turnout, which put paid to the preparations and huge investment that went towards making the event a success.

The county government pumped Sh50 million into the stadium that now can only be compared to Nairobi’s City Stadium, which uses an identical artificial turf surface (astro-turf, a brand of synthetic carpet placed on a pitch that resembles grass).

The turf was laid by Greenfields Sports Turf System, a Dutch-based company, while construction was facilitated by world football body FIFA, in terms of funding. Beyond the GOTV Shield match, Kisumu is looking to capitalise on the refurbished stadium to attract major sporting competitions to the county.

Uasin Gishu is also not being left behind as it prepares to host the Kenya Communications Sports Organisation (Kecoso) games, which county officials are banking on to boost domestic tourism as sports fanatics flock from across the country.

Contractors, including a team of Italian experts, are working round the clock to complete work on the Kipchoge Stadium in time for the games’ opening ceremony slated for August 9. The county is bracing itself for a windfall during the 10-day tournament that is expected to attract hundreds of participants and tens of thousands of spectators.

But more importantly, the games that bring together teams from telecommunication firms across the country are bound to be closely followed by other counties keen on learning a thing or two about hosting such a huge event.

Vihiga is one such county that would do well to send its MCAs on a local benchmarking exercise. In its quest to become a premier destination for music, sports and cultural events, this western Kenya county lobbied hard and in April, it got the green light from the organisers of a national beauty pageant to host a countrywide contest.

Accommodation

The Miss Tourism Kenya contest is a huge event that requires a substantial amount of money to be successful, a fact Vihiga belatedly realised when it had to kiss the fair goodbye due to inadequate preparation and lack of funds.

“We had intended to host the event this year but we cannot raise Sh80 million within three months,” admitted Vihiga Governor Moses Akaranga in an article published online early in the year. “Hosting 3,000 delegates is not a joke.”

To its credit, the county is determined to raise the funds and host the event next year. But officials must look beyond what traders stand to gain and realise that they will need to work on amenities such as hotels and guest houses to ensure the event is a success.

Accommodation, security and a good road network are some of the facilities necessary in driving traffic to counties. And although no county can have enough hotel rooms to handle say 5,000 tourists at a go, they can strive to ensure they have better ways to cater for the crowd.

Camping sites and recreational facilities in emerging rural towns like Vihiga, West Pokot, Bungoma and Nandi are important because they offer alternatives for visitors.