Security tightened at Kasarani ahead of World U18

GSU officers paroling at Kasarani Stadium ahead of the IAAF World U18 Championships to be hosted in Nairobi.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 9- Three days to the 10th and final edition of the IAAF World Under-18 Championships, security at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani is at an all time high with hundreds of police officers deployed to ensure the championship runs smooth.

A police post has already been set up at the venue to ensure peace and order is maintained during the five-day event.

The late Cabinet Secretary for Internal Security Joseph Nkaiserry, before his untimely death on Saturday morning had promised that his ministry would see to it that 100 percent security preparedness is in place for the championship.

He had visited and inspected the venue only last weekend, and speaking to Capital Sport promised that not even the political environment would affect the security in and around the venue.

“It (Nkaiserry’s death) is a huge loss to the nation and all of us. We have a good security team that was put up by General Nkaiserry which was one of the key things he worked on and we really appreciate him for that,” Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario said on Sunday morning after a short meeting with some of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) members.

Wario is expected to make another round of inspection where the LOC will officially hand over the competition to the government, before the government in turn hands it over to the IAAF.

“I want to assure everyone that the preparation is on course. We have more than 99 percent preparedness for the location and everything is ready for the competition. There may be some little things remaining here and there but within the next few days we will be ready for everything,” Wario added.

Fourteen teams have already arrived in Nairobi ahead of the start on Wednesday with the opening ceremony set to be presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta and IAAF president Sebastian Coe.

While final touches continue being dotted down all across Kasarani, athletes have already started having a feel of the track inside the main competition arena. The training arena is also open with the hammer throw net already put up while the track is marked and complete

The stands are getting a new feel of paint with the IAAF colors of brown and white, while technicians from Seiko are hard at work putting in place the timing machines. Official Broadcasters SuperSport have also started setting up as Kenya looks to host one of the biggest events in the recent past.

Wario also said that a cultural village will be set up where Kenya will showcase its diverse tradition, the championship also opening up an opportunity to sell Kenya as a tourist destination.

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