Kenya President hails new Nairobi stadium ahead of Bayern Munich vs AFC Ajax clash

The 60-seater facility is scheduled to open on 5 January with a high profile friendly match between European football giants Bayern Munich and AFC Ajax.

Honourable Ruto says he hopes the opening of this stadium will inspire young generations across the East African country.

"This is more than the opening of a stadium. It is a statement of who we are and, most importantly, who we are becoming. We dream of the very best, and we go get it. A stadium is built from concrete and steel – a nation is built on belief, ambition, and relentless courage and hard work," said Ruto

"This stadium will create jobs, attract investment, grow tourism and give our young athletes a home worthy of their talent."

Kenya is also preparing to co-host the 2027 PAMOJA African Cup of Nations [AFCON] alongside Tanzania and Uganda in June and July next year.

Ruto believes it’s symbolic that the first match at the stadium, named in honour of the late Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, is set to feature a German club, given Odinga’s historic ties to Germany, where he studied.

Construction of the stadium began in March 2024 and the president says he is very happy that they kept the promise of building the national stadium for their people.

"Two years ago I promised the people of Kenya a world-class stadium where the greatest teams in the world would come to play and today we are keeping that promise. We always said what we meant and meant what we said."