By Hope Barbra
The celebration that marked the renaming of Gor Mahia Stadium to former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga Stadium has turned into disappointment and now raises serious health and sanitation concerns.
The home ground to the mighty Gor Mahia Football Club and Shabana Football Club, having hosted high-profile matches, is currently witnessing dwindling fortunes, with lack of water, electricity and overgrown shrubs in the stadium.
The stadium, which has played host to President William Ruto on several occasions, is on a wreckage path.
The Sh500 million Raila Amolo Stadium has for the last six months gone without water and electricity after the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) disconnected electricity to the facility over a Sh5 million unpaid bill.
The 20,000-seat capacity stadium, which hosted the 2025 Madaraka Celebrations and underwent a major facelift by the national government, is becoming an eyesore.
Ahead of the Madaraka Day celebration, the government spokesperson, Mr Isaack Mwaura, hailed the facility as a symbol of development and the fruits of devolution.
And now, the facility is forced to hire a generator or request electricity from a nearby workshop.
The facility can no longer play host to various events due to lack of water and electricity.
But last night, CEC Finance Solomon Obiero told Western Insight that they had resolved the issue and the power had been restored to the facility.
Chief Officer for Communication Atieno Otieno, when contacted for comment, told Western Insight she was on leave and instead referred us to the Director Steve Muga, who did not pick our calls.
During events held at the facility, most of the attendees usually cross over to Homa Bay High School to use the facilities or opt for open defecation.
The Managing Director of Homa Bay Water and Sewerage Company, Mr Tom Nyonye, said there was no water problem in the town, and if the stadium had a water issue, it could be an individual problem.
“We have been able to pump water to residents and various institutions. We cannot know of facilities that could be having individual problems,” he said.
But residents expressed concern over the poor sanitation at the facility, saying it was a recipe for a cholera outbreak in the town.
