NAIROBI, Kenya, October 2, 2026 – National Assembly Sports Committee chair Dan Wanyama believes Kenya have broken a world record for building a modern stadium like Talanta Sports in just under four years.

Comparing the 60,000-seater facility to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, Wanyama says Kenyans should be proud of what the Kenya Kwanza government have achieved in erecting the towering structure.

“We want to appreciate the works that has been done and that this is actually something that Kenyans should be proud of…that in a record of four years the government has delivered a stadium of a modern state comparing to Emirates of England and any other stadium,” the Webuye West legislator said.

His comments came against the backdrop of recent speculation that the Confederation of African Football (Caf) are considering alternative venues for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) owing to the slothful pace of works in Kenya and Uganda.

However, Wanyama dismissed such speculation as those of naysayers who are not privy to the gigantic steps Kenya has made in its preparations.

“I want to tell the naysayers who have been on the case of Talanta for over time that please come and see for yourself. You will appreciate that there is value for money and that Kenya is ready to host AFCON come 2027. The Ministry of Defence who are the supervisors have given us the assurance that the small things that are remaining, they will be done by 31st of December this year, the stadium will be ready for action,” he said.

Wanyama added: “In fact there is a representative of CAF who is actually within the country that is also going forward to supervise what is going on and is giving a very good record to CAF, making sure that Kenya is on course and will be able to host this after. I thank you.”

Beyond the continental showpiece, Wanyama is hoping that Talanta Stadium will serve generations of Kenyans, proving to be a priceless investment in the long run.

“We are aware of the history of South Africa; after they hosted the World Cup, all the facilities were left on their own and therefore we don’t want to repeat this. The members have given views to the DG Sports Kenya that they must come up with policies and regulations on how to commercialise this facility so that it is maintained well and it continues to serve Kenyans going forward,” he said.

Other than Talanta, the government is renovating the Kasarani Stadium, which will also host some of the Afcon matches in Kenya.

Other venues, such as Nyayo Stadium, Police Sacco Stadium and Ulinzi Sports Complex will be training pitches.