Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has defended his appeal to rename Talanta Stadium after the late former prime minister Raila Odinga insisting that the proposal was anchored in memory rather than politics and reflected Odinga’s deep attachment to sports.
Sakaja said he raised the issue during Jamhuri Daycelebrations to honour what he described as one of Nairobi’s own heroes, at a moment heavy with national symbolism.
“I mentioned it within the context of the memory of heroes who we consider our own as Nairobi and it was quite apt considering that this was our first Jamhuri Day without Baba being alive,” he said.
The county boss added that the timing was also influenced by the likelihood that the next Jamhuri Day celebrations would be held at the stadium once completed.
He has also cited his Odinga’s personal relationship with sport, recounting moments that, he said, revealed a side of the veteran politician often eclipsed by his long political career. “Baba loved sports deeply,” he said.
He recalled traveling with Odinga to Dar es Salaam years ago when he was the patron of AFC Leopards and Odinga was the patron of Gor Mahia for regional matches against Tanzanian clubs Simba and Yanga.
During the trip, Sakaja said, Odinga vividly narrated football history from decades earlier. “He narrated
with such precision old matches of Uganda Express, Luo Union, etc. from the 70s. You could literally see him light up,” he said.
Talanta Stadium — officially the Talanta Sports City project — is one of the government’s flagship sports investments, designed as a modern, multi-purpose arena with a capacity of about 60,000 spectators.
Located along Ngong Road, the facility is intended to host major national events, international football matches and athletics competitions, and is part of Kenya’s preparations for future continental tournaments.
Construction is ongoing, with completion expected within the next year, placing it in contention as the venue for upcoming national celebrations.
President William Ruto, who presided over the Jamhuri Day celebrations where Sakaja first made the appeal, publicly acknowledged the proposal in his address.
The Head of State said he had heard the governor’s request and signaled agreement that the stadium should ultimately bear Odinga’s name once completed, framing the move as a national tribute rather than a partisan gesture.
