When the renovation of Moi Stadium Kisumu was announced in early 2012, football lovers were excited. It was supposed to be a joint project to be financed by the Government of Kenya and Fifa.
Local soccer officials were quick to visit the venue and announce that some matches at the then forthcoming Cecafa tournament would be hosted in the lakeside city. They bragged that finally the region, that has produced many Kenyan soccer stars, would be rewarded by Fifa.