Naema Celestine 
By Leah Nelima.
In Kanduyi, Bungoma County, work on Masinde Muliro Stadium has accelerated in order to prepare it for this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations, which are scheduled for June 1.
On January 18, the National Celebrations Committee, headed by Principal Administrative Secretary Anne Ngétich of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, visited the County to have the first preparatory meeting and evaluate different locations that will be utilized for the event.
This year’s festivities have agriculture and food security as their subject.
The committee was advised that phase one, which can accommodate 4,000 people, is finished, and phase two, which will include four more seating terraces that can accommodate 20,000 people, is on schedule to be finished by March of this year.
In addition, nine guard houses and ticket booths, a well for water supply, ramps for people with disabilities at strategic locations, and the construction of four more ablution units beneath the terraces are also part of phase two’s scope.
Pastor Jennipher Mbatiany, the acting deputy governor of Bungoma, stated that the county will gain a great deal from serving as the host of the national event.
The group exhorted participants in the trade and hospitality sectors to seize the chance and begin getting ready for the fantastic day.
According to Pst. Mbatiany, the County has formed a technical committee to supervise the work in collaboration with the National committee. A team was also dispatched to Kericho, the site of last year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations, to serve as a benchmark and make sure all preparations are executed as planned.
The National Committee decided to observe all significant days at the county and sub-county levels in order to promote unity of purpose, according to committee chair Anne Ngétich.
She claimed that all national holidays have been transferred to the county and sub-county levels, with the exception of Jamhuri Day, which is observed in Nairobi.
She requested that the committee make sure everything was planned and nothing was left up to chance.
To ensure the event’s success, she requested that the technical committees of the National and County governments collaborate.
The National team consists of representatives from various state departments, the military, the Office of the President, and the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO).
Attending the meeting, area MP John Makali promised to provide the committee with all the resources needed to make the day a success.
Masinde Muliro Stadium was named for the liberation fighter Masinde Muliro, according to Governor Lusaka, therefore holding a national event there will be a fitting way to remember the dead hero.
He said, “The fact that Masinde Muliro Stadium bears the name of a freedom fighter makes it a historic site.”
To evaluate the present state and future work, the crew also paid visits to the Masinde Muliro Stadium, the official home of the Bungoma County Commissioner, and the Bungoma and Matulo Airstrip.
