Moi International Sports Centre

The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as M.I.S.C.) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium was used to host the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards.

The stadium had been closed since January 2010 for major renovations costing about Ksh. 900 million, which was funded by a grant to the Government of Kenya by the Government of China. They were being carried out by a Chinese firm, Sheng Li Engineering Construction Company Limited. The stadium was reopened in March 2012. In April 2014 it was used to hold hundreds of illegal immigrants in a security operation linked to the War on Terror.^[2][3][4]

Components

Kasarani Stadium

This is the football stadium located within the Moi International Sports Centre. It holds 60,000 people. It is used by the Kenya national football team for most of its home games, as well as Kenyan Premier League sides Mathare United and Tusker F.C.. A notable past match was one played by Mathare United and the Manchester United Reserves in around 2005, where the latter won 3-0.

The stadium was renamed Safaricom Stadium Kasarani in December 2013, following a sponsorship deal with Kenyan telecommunications firm Safaricom.^[5]

Kasarani Indoor Arena

This is the indoor arena and gymnasium within the centre. It is used for volleyball, gymnastics, Basketball, Badminton, Boxing, Wrestling, Martial Arts,Table Tennis and other sports. It has a capacity of 5,000.

The arena was renamed Safaricom Indoor Arena in December 2013, following a sponsorship deal with Kenyan telecommunications firm Safaricom.^[6]

Kasarani Aquatic Complex

This complex holds:

• A public children's pool
• A warm-up/training pool 1.25 metres in depth
• An Olympic-size (100 metres) competition pool
• A recreational public diving pool with 3 springboards, the highest being 10 metres above the pool.

The Stadion Hotel

This is a public hotel located within the centre. It includes:

• Accommodation with 108 rooms equipped with TVs and telephones
• 200-seater restaurant and 60-seater adjacent grillroom
• A sports bar
• Laundry
• A 400-seater multi-purpose ballroom
• A business centre with a cybercafé
• Seminar rooms with secretariat
• A gift shop
• A luxurious private swimming pool
• A poolside bar

References

1. ↑ http://www.ghettoradio.co.ke/kenyas-new-president-to-be-sworn-in-at-kasarani/
2. ↑ See: SOMALIA: Kenyan police keep more than 1,000 Somalis in Kasarani Stadium in the third day, RBC RADIO Raxanreeb, 7 April 2014. Accessed on 12 May 2014.
3. ↑ See: Mass arrests in Eastleigh lead to public outcry, SabahiOnline.Com, 9 April 2014. Accessed on 12 May 2014.
4. ↑ See: SITUATION REPORT 7:IOM SOMALIA FORCED RETURNS SITUATION REPORT, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 14 April - 5 May 2014.
5. ↑ Akaki, Lulu. "Safaricom Stadium Kasarani unveiled". hapakenya.com. HapaKenya. Retrieved 12 September 2015. 
6. ↑ Akaki, Lulu. "Safaricom Stadium Kasarani unveiled". hapakenya.com. HapaKenya. Retrieved 12 September 2015. 

External links

• Sports Stadia Management Board - a body governing several stadiums in Kenya
• Photo at worldstadiums.com
• Photo at fussballtempel.net
• Nation.co.ke - Sh1bn facelift for Kasarani
• Stadium images

Coordinates: 1°13′47.9″S 36°53′32.6″E / 1.229972°S 36.892389°E / -1.229972; 36.892389