I have been a member of PAC and PIC in the Nairobi City County Assembly, the second-largest parliament in Kenya, out of the 49 parliaments we have.
I have found out that Kenya's problem has nothing to do with corruption and everything to do with intellectual laziness masquerading as accountability journalism.
The article claiming that the cost of Talanta Sports City Stadium was “inflated by Sh11 billion” is an example of how numbers are weaponised, context is buried, and outrage is manufactured.
Guys, Audit Reports are not engineering Bibles
How is it that the Daily Nation has treated audit opinion as a technical verdict? The Auditor-General’s office has a constitutional role, but it is not a quantity surveying firm, an engineering consultancy, or a project valuation authority.
Auditors interrogate process and compliance, not market-based construction economics. When an audit report opines that a complex FIFA-grade stadium “should” have cost less, the obvious question is: based on which global benchmarks, which comparable projects, and which professional cost models? The article never asks. It simply assumes.
This is where journalism should begin. Instead, it ends.
The KSh11 billion figure is thrown around as if construction costs exist in a vacuum.
I would love to see the article analyse the project cost vis-à-vis the global construction costs and trends between 2022 and 2025. Didn't we have steel price volatility, logistics and shipping shocks, foreign exchange instability etc....
None of this appears in the article. No attempt is made to situate Talanta Stadium within the real market conditions under which it is being built. The article assumes that Kenya can build a modern, international-standard sports complex using pre-pandemic computation.
That is not accountability. When did procedure become proof of plunder? How is it that procedural questions have been turned into moral conclusions?
Direct procurement is not illegal per se. Kenyan law allows it when there is an urgency, national interest, or specialised work is required. A national stadium tied to continental tournaments, international diplomacy, and national branding qualifies for such exceptions.
Our journalists must know that audit regurgitation is and shall never be investigative journalism
I would have loved to see the opinions of independent engineers and professional quantity surveyors, global stadium cost comparisons, or even alternative estimates from the project team.
Instead, the article simply repackages selected audit excerpts, strips them of nuance, and presents them as definitive truth. This is not an investigation. It is copy-paste indignation.
Real journalism tests claims.
The media house publishing this story knows exactly what it is doing. “Inflated by Sh11 billion” is a designed provocation.
In the article, there is no follow-up on completion benchmarks, no explanation of what value the stadium delivers beyond concrete and steel.
In the Ruto reign, the Kenyan media is trying to build public cynicism, investor fear, and institutional paralysis.
Raila Odinga, whose political life was dedicated to institutional reform, always understood that strong oversight must coexist with the courage to execute.
The article represents a culture that treats every large project as a crime scene and every number as a smoking gun. That mindset does not protect taxpayers. It condemns the country to permanent smallness.
If Talanta Sports City Stadium were tendered today, under current global conditions, would it be cheaper or more expensive?
I hear there's a new sheriff in Mombasa hacheki na armed robbers
Gangs have been marauding with pangas in broad daylight na Diddy hajali
Ali Nuno 👏
Problem with Kenyans is, once he begins handling criminals, you'll turn against him
The way you did to Rashid, frame 2. 🚶♀️
When some people tried to discredit ‘sigweya’and ‘tero buru’, everyone on this platform came together to defend our heritage. Kindly show some respect to these people. Let them do their thing the way they deem fit.
Governor James Orengo is both witty and experienced. Orengo tabled a motion to impeach Moi when he was only 30. Today he still holds the same passion and thrill to speak for the voiceless. This has always been the true identity of ODM. Elders like Nyongo and Dr. Nyikal will agree
From Mau Mau resistance, Nyayo torture chambers, to the 2007 PEV, every Kenyan generation has had its struggle.
What remains true: when we choose DIALOGUE, we move forward. When we choose ANARCHY, we collapse. Let’s protect the gains of our mothers and fathers.
#SabaSabaForPEACE
This reminds me of December of 2007, when my brother was marched in his casket to Rapedhi police station in Ndhiwa (then DO’s office), Homabay County, later on to the then chief’s homestead. Homabay people do not joke btw. They’re just according ‘mzee’ his respect.
@WehliyeMohamed There’s a player at Nairobi united. Name is Michael Jairo. You can take him up so you become our ‘super agaent’, then we’ll see how the clauses you impose are pro-players who ‘want to leave’. Michael Jairo is worth a try btw, don’t waste the chance.
Babadogo grounds has served the community for over 20 years. There has to be a way to negotiate its use between Kenafric and t he surrounding community. Selling it or locking out the community is a bad idea.
@SakajaJohnson@tjkajwang