President William Ruto today, Monday March 10, 2024 led the Nairobi City County leadership led by Governor Johnson Sakaja and California MCA Hashim Kamau in opening the newly constructed grand state of the art Desert playing grounds in California ward, Kamukunji in Nairobi.
The iconic state of the art sports playing ground, constructed under the patronage of MCA Hashim, boasts of a newly laid astro-turf playing grounds complete with a security perimeter wall in the county government’s endeavor to develop and upgrade sports facilities in the Kenyan capital.
Speaking during the event, President Ruto, who was today on a day long development working tour of Nairobi said that his administration is keen to work with the county governments to invest in the development of sports facilities which will provide ample spaces for leisure, talent development and interaction.
The President praised the efforts of MCA Hashim and Governor Sakaja’s leadership for being at the front in the development of starts facilities across the county.
“We are working with county governments to invest in social infrastructure to provide ample spaces for leisure, talent development and interaction. In the long-run, this will contribute to the economic and social well-being of our country. I commend the County Government of Nairobi for investment in the Desert Grounds in California, Kamukunji, this is a big stride for the nation’s youths whoo are keen to develop their talents and make a living out of it,” President Ruto said.
During the development tour of Kamukunji Constituency, MCA Hashim and Governor Sakaja along with a host of Nairobi county leadership among them Eastleigh South MCA Nixon Juma and Nairobi county CEC for Sports Brian Mulama took the president around various development projects which the county has initiated among them the desert grounds in the popular Calif area.
Hashim noted that the upgrading of the grounds was a dream come true for many football players in the area as the grounds is deeply eked in the history of Kenyan football having produced a galaxy of past football stars of the past. Hashim, a former football international is among the ex-footballers who have played at the former dusty grounds.
“I am a product of this very ground together with other past footballers like Salim Ali, who is currently the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Education Officer, trained by the KNVB (Dutch Football Federation) and now responsible for training coaches across Kenya so to me this is a dream come true. It means there is hope for the young talented youths who want to develop their talent into professional standards,” Hashim said.
Later, Governor Sakaja led the President in the expansion of the Dishi Na County school feeding program at Zawadi Comprehensive School, within Kamukunji.
“ We will keep expanding school feeding programmes across Kenya, especially in informal settlements and marginalized areas, to boost enrollment and enhance the performance of learners. At the Zawadi Comprehensive School, Kamukunji, Nairobi, we officially opened the Dishi na County Central Kitchen,” President Ruto said.
Governor Sakaja heaped praise on MCA Hashim for the construction to the Desert grounds noting that he had shown great love for the young people of the area and this was just a beginning of the bigger plans ahead.