Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai has strongly criticized the Daily Nation’s coverage of the Talanta Sports City Stadium, describing claims of a Sh11 billion “inflation” as misleading, alarmist, and devoid of proper context.
Speaking on Monday, Alai, who previously served on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Public Investments Committee (PIC) in the Nairobi City County Assembly, argued that the media had selectively weaponized numbers to manufacture outrage.
“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,” Alai said.
He noted that the article reporting the stadium’s costs as “inflated by Sh11 billion” fails to explain the technical, economic, and global factors that determine modern stadium construction costs.
Alai emphasized that audit reports are designed to assess compliance with processes, not to provide definitive valuations of construction projects.
“Audit reports are not engineering Bibles. Auditors interrogate process and compliance, not market-based construction economics. When an audit report opines that a 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,” he said.
The MCA highlighted that the audit claimed the Talanta Stadium contract sum rose from Sh35 billion to Sh45.8 billion without sufficient explanation.
While the report framed this as a price “inflation,” Alai said the media ignored external factors affecting construction costs between 2022 and 2025, including steel price volatility, supply chain disruptions, shipping costs, and foreign exchange instability.
“The KSh11 billion figure is thrown around as if construction costs exist in a vacuum. 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,” he said.
The audit also alleged illegal procurement, noting that the stadium’s direct procurement bypassed open tendering and that Attorney-General approval, required for contracts above Sh5 billion, was not sought.
Alai defended the approach, arguing that Kenyan law allows direct procurement under circumstances of urgency, national interest, or specialized work.
“A national stadium tied to continental tournaments, international diplomacy, and national branding qualifies for such exceptions. Direct procurement is not illegal per se,” he said.
He further criticized the media for failing to provide technical perspectives.
“I would have loved to see independent engineers, professional quantity surveyors, global stadium cost comparisons, or alternative estimates from the project team,” Alai said.
Instead, he argued, the article merely recycled selective audit excerpts, stripped them of nuance, and presented them as definitive proof of wrongdoing.
Alai also raised concerns about the audit’s claims regarding contract terms that imposed heavy penalties on the government for payment delays.
“Yes, the agreement has penalties, but the story makes it sound as if these are a deliberate burden. In reality, they are standard risk management clauses in high-value construction contracts globally,” he explained.
The MCA warned that treating every large project as a crime scene and every number as a smoking gun fosters 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. That mindset does not protect taxpayers; it condemns the country to permanent smallness,” he said.
Alai concluded by questioning whether the stadium could be built cheaper today under current global conditions, emphasizing the importance of nuanced, informed reporting over sensationalist claims.
This response comes as President William Ruto continues to showcase Talanta Sports City Stadium as a key achievement in Kenya’s infrastructure agenda.
During a tour of the facility on February 7, Ruto defended the project, saying: “They were casting doubts, but we trusted the process. Now look, see for yourselves. Talanta Stadium is right here. This is huge, you will love it.”