Infrastructure
Baringo residents will wait for another five year or more to get a new stadium after the county failed to make its needs captured in the Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP-4). Governor Benjamin Cheboi is now appealing to the national government to consider Baringo to host a national celebration in order to benefit from infrastructure uplift for the Kabarnet Stadium that has stalled for more than eight years.
The stadium status made the limelight in the concluded development expenditure blueprint, MTP IV which was disseminated on Friday at the KSG Baringo, by Cooperatives and MSMEs CS Simon Chelugui and a host of PSs.
The bad news was ironically relayed by Sports Principal Secretary Eng. Peter Tum while responding to Baringo County Finance and Economic Planning County Executive (CEC) Wilson Cheserek’s request for completion of the Kabarnet Stadium.
“Baringo County would like to do two stadiums but with the Sh7 billion budget cannot allow us, we are requesting the national government to help us construct the stadiums,” requested the CEC alongside other pleadings. PS Tum pulled breaks on the CEC by informing him that his request was late as it was now at the dissemination stage and not on views collection stage where they would have presented their requests to the national government.
“I would like to correct the County CEC Finance, please note that we are now disseminating the MTP for 2023-2028 circle, it’s not time to include proposals, that was done sometime last year,” said Tum.
Sports Principal Secretary Eng. Peter Tum follows proceedings during the dissemination of MTP IV document at Kenya School of Government Baringo, he called on residents and people’s representative to participate in budget consultative forums stating that missing such opportunities will mean missing on dreams and aspirations of the people.
Tum reiterated the importance of participating during the public consultative forums as it’s at that stage that counties and its’ residents put in their requests for consideration. “Once you miss on such opportunity you will wait for another five years to present it, MTP and CIDP are legal documents that are used to get resources for programmes and as such no projects will be carried out outside these documents,” explained Eng. Tum.
He however gave some ray of hope that all wasn’t lost as he had discovered it’s possible to put up a standard sports academy with a budget as low as Sh50 million. Governor Cheboi hoped that the county’s aspirations can still be included stating that “MTP is not a static but an organic document, we hope our requests will be considered.”
He went ahead to request CS Chelugui to implore on the Cabinet to consider hosting a national celebration in the County so that they can get the important infrastructure uplift that goes with the event. “Please CS also request the cabinet to instruct Treasury to be releasing the county funds on time as the delays that take as long as three months hamper our operations,” pleaded governor Cheboi.
Among the highlights on the benefits to Baringo are the scores of boreholes and water pans to improve water accessibility and sanitation, support in coffee and cotton value addition chains among others. Health PS Harry Kimtai who was part of the dissemination team said that Baringo will also benefit from the establishment of Sh150 million livestock training institute as the funds for the project was already allocated in the 2024-2025 budget.
Kabarnet stadium, a key project intended to boost local sports, has faced significant delays and funding issues, initially started by governor Cheboi during his first term with the advent of devolution, the project has remained an eye sore for almost a decade.
The ambitious plan began with perimeter fencing, massive earthworks on the pitch, drainage and planting of grass, but after failing to recapture the gubernatorial seat in 2017 the dream seemed to have folded up with Cheboi as the field was left unattended leaving it to vandals and was turned into a haven for drug peddlers.
The second Governor Stanley Kiptis steered off the project taking caution not to burn his hands citing graft and land ownership controversy surrounding the facility. With Cheboi’s second regime, works have started on the facility with a gate being put up and renovation of changing rooms.