Moi International Sports Centre

The Moi International Sports Centre (abbreviated as MISC, locally referred to as the Kasarani stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kasarani, Kenya. It was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. The facilities include a 60,000-seat stadium with a running track and a pitch used for football and rugby union, a competition size swimming pool, an indoor arena and a 108-bed capacity hotel.[3] Located at 1,612 metres above sea level, it is slightly above 1 mile in altitude.[4]

Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani
Interior of the stadium on a matchday
Full nameMoi International Sports Centre
LocationKasarani,
Nairobi, Kenya
Coordinates1°13′41″S 36°53′26″E
OwnerGovernment of Kenya
OperatorSports Kenya
CapacityMoi International Sports Centre Kasarani:

80,000[1] (Kasarani Stadium) 5,000 (Kasarani Indoor Arena)

5,000 (Competition pool)[2]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Built1987
OpenedAugust 1987
RenovatedJanuary 2010
Construction costKSh.900 million/= (renovations)
Structural engineerSheng-Li Engineering Construction Company Ltd. (renovations)
Services engineerSheng-Li Engineering Construction Company Ltd. (renovations)
Main contractorsn/a
Tenants
Kenya national football team
Mathare United F.C.
Tusker
Athletics Kenya

The stadium was closed in January 2010 for renovation works worth KSh.900 million/= and funded by a grant to the Government of Kenya by the Government of China. Chinese firm, Sheng Li Engineering Construction Company Limited was contracted to conduct the renovations and the stadium was reopened in March 2012 after completion of the renovations.

In April and May 2014, after terror attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa, the main stadium was used as a screening center as part of 'Operation Usalama Watch' during which thousands of people were rounded up and arrested by the Kenya Police.[5][6]

The stadium hosted the 2017 World U18 Championships in Athletics[7] and 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships.

Facilities

Kasarani Stadium (Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani)
Inside the stadium

The main arena 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.

Since 2013 the Safari Sevens rugby union tournament has been hosted at the Kasarani Stadium.

For sponsorship reasons, the stadium was known as Safaricom Stadium Kasarani.[8]

Kasarani Indoor Arena

The indoor arena seats 5,000 and hosts volleyball, gymnastics, basketball, badminton, boxing, wrestling, martial arts and table tennis.

For sponsorship reasons, the arena is also known as Safaricom Indoor Arena.

Kasarani Aquatic Complex

This arena consists of an Olympic competition pool 1.25 metres in depth, a recreational public diving pool and a children's pool.

The Stadium Hotel

This is a 108-room hotel located within the centre.

International matches
DateCompetitionResultRivalAttendance
11 September 2018 International Friendly 1–0  Malawi 3,500
14 October 2018 2019 AFCON Qualifiers 3–0  Ethiopia 60,000
18 Nov 2019 2021 AFCON Qualifiers 1–1  Togo

References
  1. "Kenya's new president to be sworn in at Kasarani". Archived from the original on 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  2. "Moi International Sports Complex (MISC), Kasarani". www.sportskenya.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  3. "Moi International Sports Complex (MISC), Kasarani". www.sportskenya.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  4. "Moi International Sports Centre on World Stadium Database". Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  5. Somalis are scapegoats in Kenya's Counter-terror Crackdown Archived 2017-02-28 at the Wayback Machine, Amnesty International, May 2014. Accessed on 27 February 2017.
  6. Usalama Watch: State is fracturing Kenyan society Archived 2017-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, The East African, 19 April 2014. Accessed on 27 February 2017.
  7. Competitions Update Archived 2016-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2017-06-07
  8. Akaki, Lulu (6 December 2013). "Safaricom Stadium Kasarani unveiled". hapakenya.com. HapaKenya. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2015.

1°13′47.9″S 36°53′32.6″E

  1. "Moi International Sports Centre". JF Football. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
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