Govt Announces Changes in 2023 Madaraka Day Celebrations

The Ministry of Interior and National Administration has announced changes to the celebrations of this year’s Madaraka Day set for June 1, 2023.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, February 21, Interior Permanent Secretary Raymond Omollo said the celebrations will be marked at Moi Stadium in Embu County instead of Njukiri Grounds in the same county.

Omollo said the changes were made after the government failed to complete the repairs needed in time for the Madaraka Day celebrations.

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“The celebration will no longer be held at Njukiri Grounds due to cost and time constraints that will delay construction of the stadium that had been conceptualized to host the event,” the statement read in part.

“We expect that within the next 45 days, the structure will be up, and the rest of the amenities put together. Already there is a lot of work going on. Hosting the celebrations at Njukiri would have required an additional two months which we do not have,” Omollo further stated.

The government further stated that Moi Stadium will host 20,000 guests after it is repaired at a fee of Ksh300 million.

The Interior CS added that the theme of this year’s Madaraka Day will change from Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as the Kenya Kwanza government focuses on improving the state of Kenya’s economy.

“For the people of Embu, this is another opportunity to look at how we can be able to spur the economy of this county, not just in Embu town,” the PS said.