Kiambu County Mau Mau Liberation War Veterans Association is asking for the Kirigiti International Stadium to be renamed in honour of its historical significance in Kenya's independence struggle.
Kirigiti International Stadium should be renamed Kirigiti Mau Mau International Stadium or Kirigiti International Stadium Mau Mau, according to a petition filed by the organisation with the Kiambu County Assembly.
Under the leadership of Gitu wa Kahengeri, a veteran of the Mau Mau, the association contends that the stadium is a symbol of the struggle for freedom.
Kiharo Gia Thathi-ini, the birthplace of Kenya's freedom struggles and opposition to British colonialism, is the location cited by the group.
The stadium, which has a seating capacity of roughly 15,000 and is currently 95% completed, was fully supported by the national government at an estimated cost of Sh600 million.
According to Kimani Charagu, a former chairman of the vetting board of the Kikuyu Council of Elders-Kiambu chapter, the stadium was built by the colonial government as a cricket facility and served as the venue for the founding president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's final emergency meeting in 1954.
The old man stated in a former interview with the Standard that it was a hallowed area because Kikuyu elders utilised it for their customary activities like recruiting, which is known as Mburi cia athuri (Goats for the Elders).
By Vanessa Kariuki