NAIROBI, Kenya, January 23, 2026 – Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi says the Talanta Stadium will rival some of the best stadia in Africa once it is complete.
Mwangi says the 60,000-seater venue — to be renamed Raila Odinga Stadium — will be at par with the world class stadia that hosted the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
“People compare this stadium with other stadiums outside there. What you have seen, this is one of the best stadiums around. We were in Morocco and the standards in Morocco there is what we have here,” Mwangi said.
The stadium, whose construction began in 2023, will host next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which will also be staged in the neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania.
Timelines for its completion have shifted along the way but Mwangi assures that the stadium is on course to host the continental bonanza.
“Part of the infrastructure that shall be used for that purpose (Afcon 2027) is this stadium…not forgetting Kasarani, Nyayo and the other stadiums that are in progress. We got an invitation from the Defence PS, just to get an assurance that this stadium is progressing on well,” he said.
Mwangi added: “You may realise that Nyayo National Stadium is meant to be given a new face, a new canopy. Kirigiti Stadium, we are going to complete it and therefore it should be in use come next year.”
Apart from Talanta, Mwangi also revealed that the government is presently constructing other sports facilities around the country.
This will be necessary to provide alternative venues for various disciplines in the country during Afcon 2027.
“We have stadiums in each and every county. Right now, we are working on 21 more stadiums that will give us ample space for either training or playing across the country,” the PS added.
Mwangi was speaking on Friday after a tour of Talanta Stadium alongside fellow PSs, including Patrick Mariru (Defence), Raymond Omollo (Interior) and Stephen Isaboke (Broadcast and Telecommunications).
