Ongoing demolition works at Moi Stadium, Kisumu, on January 29, 2026, following the handover of the site by the Kisumu County government. Photo: Alex Odhiambo
The journey to transform Moi Stadium into an ultra-modern sports facility started in chaos on Wednesday after unknown people stormed the facility and extensively vandalised the stadium a day before the scheduled official handover to the contractor for renovation.
A controlled exercise by county officials to prepare the facility ahead of Thursday’s handover to China Road and Bridge Corporation for the commencement of the Sh800 million upgrade was hijacked by alleged criminal groups, who moved swiftly to strip the stadium of its assets.
Eyewitnesses say the destruction began at around 3pm, catching athletes training on the pitch off guard.
“Some people came and started removing goalposts and wire mesh. Then, without warning, a crowd poured into the stadium and began looting,” said one of the athletes who requested not to be named.
“People were shouting that they had been sent by a county official. They turned hostile, forcing us to flee,” the athlete said.
Gates, wire mesh, roofing sheets, electrical cables, and floodlight components were uprooted and carted away, soon after sold to scrap metal buyers who appeared outside the stadium.
Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Sports, Culture, Gender and Youth Affairs, Beatrice Odongo, confirmed the vandalism and condemned it.
“There are people who heard that items were being moved and they took advantage,” she said.
Moi Stadium has four floodlight towers, each fitted with 30 high-capacity 2,000-watt bulbs.
Ironically, the floodlights, installed in 2022 but never used, were stripped of bulbs and wiring. Attempts by the vandals to remove the artificial turf were stopped when police intervened.
“Our intention was to remove things in an orderly way and dispose of some of the equipment, but the turf and the floodlights were never meant to be removed,” said Odongo.
She blamed scrap metal cartels from Kisumu for exploiting the transition period and confirmed that police had been deployed to secure the facility.
The Officer Commanding Kondele Police Station Daniel Ogechi confirmed that security at Moi Stadium has since been reinforced.
“Investigations are ongoing to bring the suspects to book. We have reinforced the police officers to provide security at the stadium,” he said.
Speaking during the handover on Thursday, Odongo said the renovation works begin immediately and will create employment opportunities for residents.
“This project will give Kisumu a modern facility where young people can nurture and grow their talent,” she said.
The stadium is being rebuilt under a national government programme supervised by the Kenya Defence Forces, with CRBC implementing the project.
Projected to be completed in December 2026, the refurbished Moi Stadium will be a 10,000-seater facility featuring roofed pavilions and a playing surface built to Fifa and CAF standards.
The stadium will also have an eight-lane athletics tartan track meeting World Athletics standards, alongside mechanical, electrical and civil works such as fencing and paved parking.
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