Madaraka Day still on at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, Kibicho

The government has refuted claims that Madaraka Day celebrations will be held at the Kisumu State Lodge.

On Sunday, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho said the celebrations as planned will be held at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium.

Kibicho however maintained that the  20,000 capacity stadium will only host 3,000 guests who were invited.

This he said was a way of ensuring social distance was achieved considering the celebrations will be taking place during a pandemic.

As of Sunday morning, the stadium was a beehive of activities ranging from sound checks to tent pitching, and décor set up with those expected to perform on the big day rehearsing their verses and moves.

Kibicho’s remarks came hours after Statehouse spokesperson Kanze Dena said some discussions were likely to lead to adjustments in the president’s programme.

She said the event could happen at the Kisumu State Lodge as a precautionary measure against Covid-19.

“There are ongoing discussions, and this office will give regular briefings in regards to the venue for the event, and the president’s Programme during his three-day visit to the region,” Kanze said.

Sources told The Standard that the change of venue proposal came about due to fear that it may be hard to control the crowd at the stadium at a time when Kisumu is recording a high number of Covid-19 infections.

In April, Kibicho together with other high-ranking government officials had visited the 350 million capacity to assess its ability to host the state celebrations.

Kibicho, the National Celebrations Committee chairman, recommended the stadium to host the celebrations commemorating the country's internal self-rule.

 ''We will hold the celebrations at the stadium for a few, but we have also identified some areas where people will gather to follow the celebrations virtually.'' He said in a press briefing.

This year’s Madaraka Day celebration at Kisumu will be the first time the lakeside city hosts national celebrations. The celebrations were traditionally held in Nairobi until the Jubilee regime revised the trend to rotate the celebrations in counties.