Edwin Sifuna Pushes Game-Changing Stadia Proposal as Talanta Sports City Rises Ahead of AFCON 2027

Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna has advocated for more private companies to collaborate with both the central and county governments in order to improve the quality and number of sporting infrastructure around the country, highlighting Talanta Sports City’s progress as an ideal example.

Talanta Sports City is the first stadium to have been constructed by the central government since Kasarani Stadium nearly 40 years ago, which was constructed to host the All African Games held in Nairobi that year.

The 60,000 seater facility located alongside Ngong Road in Nairobi is being constructed ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations which Kenya will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

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“We have struggled as a country to build sports infrastructure. Because as you know, sports infrastructure is very, very expensive,” Sifuna remarked during the U.S.–Kenya Creative Economy Forum 2025 held at a Nairobi hotel and attended by Pulse Sports.

He cited Talanta Sports City as a prime example of how private investment can help accelerate development timelines. “Like you know, you see the Talanta stadium that is coming up. That is private money. It is moving at that pace because of private money,” he said.

The senator, however, noted that while Kenyans generally support the idea of private entities financing national infrastructure, trust remains a key issue due to persistent lack of transparency and poor communication from government officials.

“As a senator, we have had conversations in the House about these PPP models. Kenyans generally do not object to private money being injected into national infrastructure. But the law is never for them. The biggest problem is a lack of transparency,” he said.

Sifuna pointed to last year’s controversy surrounding the proposed expansion of Kenya’s airport facilities as an example of what happens when public trust is eroded.

 “Part of the problem with the current government is that, first of all, there's no public trust in elected officials in the country, including your senator, and we've brought it upon ourselves, you know?”

“Number two, they don't know how to communicate. The law requires that you maintain a register, a website, on your website of all government or public priority infrastructure projects so that the whole world knows that Kenya desires to have an international stadium for refugees, for instance,” he added.

He stressed the importance of making project proposals publicly available to invite competition and prevent speculation. “You don't wait until Twitter asks, ‘oh, the airport has been sold’ before you come and explain. No. And it is a requirement... if you look at the content of our constitution.”

According to Sifuna, public pressure, both in Parliament and on social media, was instrumental in forcing Indian conglomerate Adani out of the controversial airport deal. However, he maintained that private capital remains critical for funding costly national infrastructure.

To address the transparency gap, the senator revealed that he and his colleagues have proposed several amendments to the PPP Act.

 “If you fail to disclose—as an officer who fails to disclose—that Sifuna has sent me a privately initiated proposal to be investigated, it should be criminal. Number two, when I receive that proposal, I should disclose it within seven days and allow other people to also offer their proposals.”

He proposed the implementation of the “Swiss Challenge” system, where competing firms are invited to match or better initial proposals submitted to the government. “So this thing they call the Swiss challenge—can you beat what this guy is offering the people of Kenya? And then if they're able to beat it, then you proceed.”

Sifuna also highlighted land availability as a major cost driver in infrastructure development, particularly in Nairobi, stressing that the use of public land must be handled judiciously.

Despite the challenges, Sifuna remains optimistic about the Talanta Sports City project. “Believe me when I say that Kenyans want that stadium to be complete because people have travelled all over the world and they would like to see that for us.”