Former Radio Presenter Larry Asego has urged Nairobi Governor not to implement his plans of flattering Greenpark terminus and building a conference.
Instead, Asego has advised the Governor to let the grounds be used for its original rugby purpose. In a statement on Saturday morning, he noted that the grounds used to be used for rugby training until Greenpark terminus was constructed.
“Mwamba RFC, we still don’t have a rugby facility after we were unfairly kicked out and our rugby grounds converted into whatever that thing is. KICC bado iko sawa for conferences,” Asego added.
Asego who is also a comedian, also told the Nairobi Governor that WinWin Africa mastered the art of incorporating malls, shops, conference halls, restaurants among others within a small stadium called Agora.
“The design could be a win-win for all, especially Mwamba RFC who were kicked out of their rugby home. That space is enough,” he added.
The former Radio Presenter noted that with Sh150 million to Sh200 million, Sakaja can have the facilities installed.
“The conference hall might not be as big as KICC but it can serve the cultural & sporting scene in Nairobi. Thanks for consideration from a Mwamba RFC old guard,” Asego added.
Green Park terminus will cease to exist as Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja plans to convert it into a world-class conference center.
The plans were revealed this week by the county boss who said that GreenPark terminus occupies a valuable five-acre parcel of land that can be converted for another use after its original plan failed.
The Sh250 million terminus was built by the now defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) to effectively establish and operationalize the bus park.
It was meant to be retired president Uhuru Kenyatta’s gift to Nairobi residents as a part of the solution to decongest the city centre.
However, after NMS in 2021 conducted at least three test runs in order to identify challenges and loopholes in the terminus, it was still not opened to the public.
Governor Sakaja explained it was not supposed to be a bus terminal. All of the trials that have been tried even during NMS time failed.
“For long-distance vehicles, it looked like it could work until the interference. I sat down with my team and pointed out the flaws. I have already approved an exit of the expressway into the CBD. This will be the capital of conferencing,” he noted.
Sakaja emphasised Nairobi’s immense potential of Nairobi to thrive as Africa’s leading hub for conferences, drawing parallels to the remarkable Sh9.8 billion Kigali Convention Centre.
“Picture this, you land in Nairobi from abroad, and in five minutes, you exit the expressway into the centre. There is a mall and other facilities. That is something we’re exploring to do under Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). People have expressed interest to build hotels in the conference facility,” he noted.
