Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium is undergoing one of the country’s most comprehensive sports infrastructure overhauls, as the government pushes to have the venue ready ahead of Kenya’s co-hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
The redevelopment is being led by the Kenya Defence Forces, tasked with transforming the historic venue into a facility capable of hosting international football and athletics events.
Currently holding around 8,200 spectators, the stadium will be expanded to between 13,000 and 15,000 seats in the current phase, with a long-term target of 20,000. Ongoing works include reinforced concrete pillar installation, column casting, beam works, and terracing designed to support the expanded seating and improve spectator movement.
The upgrade will also introduce an all-weather Tartan running track, a FIFA-standard pitch, upgraded floodlighting for evening fixtures, and a new VIP pavilion.
The current phase builds on an earlier World Bank-supported renovation costing Sh650 million, which delivered pitch and drainage rehabilitation, the main pavilion, and upgraded athletics track and terraces.
For Nakuru’s sports fraternity, the stakes are significant. Afraha has long been home to four-time league champions Ulinzi Stars and a regular venue for FKF Premier League fixtures and national athletics meets, but the facility has sat largely dormant for top-flight football since redevelopment began, with its last league match — a goalless draw between Ulinzi and KCB — played back in January 2021.
A revamped Afraha is expected to restore that competitive buzz, give local athletes and footballers access to modern training and competition facilities, and reestablish Nakuru’s standing as a genuine regional sports hub.
Beyond the pitch, officials say the project should stimulate sports tourism and local economic activity by attracting major domestic and international events to the city. With AFCON 2027 on the horizon, Afraha’s transformation stands as one of the clearest signals yet of Kenya’s readiness to deliver on its continental hosting duties.
