Ruiru football clubs have pleaded with the county government of Kiambu to move with speed and improve the state of Ruiru Stadium.
The stadium is among four football playing grounds that had been carpeted by the county but its state has since deteriorated. It hosts most matches in the region, particularly Kenya Women’s Premier League and men’s Football Kenya Federation Division One games.
During the official opening of the stadium on August 6, 2017, former Kiambu governor, William Kabogo, urged the youth from the county to take advantage of the first astro-turf pitch to enhance their football skills.
"Ruiru Stadium 11 aside football Astroturf pitch was officially opened by governor William Kabogo yesterday. In his speech to the public, the governor urged youths from, not only Ruiru Sub County, but also Kiambu County as a whole to take advantage of the field to improve their football skills. The field is among four others carpeted by the county government of Kiambu," read a statement from Kiambu county at the time.
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Speaking to one of the local dailies, Ruiru Hot Stars Secretary General, Ouma Odhiambo, revealed that the poor state of the pitch had forced them to rent playing grounds.
“We have been forced to rent stadia which is expensive considering we have to travel and also our fans don’t get to see us play. Community teams are also dying since there is no stadium for them to train or play in,” Odhiambo was quoted as saying by Citizen Digital.
Zetech Sparks tactician, Benard Kitolo, echoed Odhiambo’s sentiments arguing that they have been forced to dig deep into their pockets to honor KWPL matches.
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"The state of this stadium is really bad, there are no games that can be played here and this forces us to rent alternative stadia which are really expensive,” stated Kitolo.
Kitolo added that the stadium has made some of his players to pick up serious injuries, thus derailing their KWPL campaign.
He urged the concerned officials to refurbish the stadium before the situation gets out of hand.