Ruto declares Wajir stadium to be named Ahmed Khalif Wajir Stadium

This came after Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, during the 63rd Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir on Monday, proposed that the honour would act as a tribute to the leader who represented the region in the highest political office of the land.

"I am an accidental politician. I engaged in politics for the first time in 2002 not to contest but to help Ahmed Khalif, a man I admired, to reclaim his seat as his campaign manager," said Governor Abdullahi.

"It would be a befitting tribute for the people of Wajir to name this magnificent stadium the Ahmed Khalif Stadium."

Ahmed Mohamed Khalif became the first Cabinet Minister from Wajir region to serve in the President Mwai Kibaki administration and died in a plane crash in January 2003.

Responding to the Governor's request, President Ruto granted his prayer, saying that the stadium will be fully fitted to international standards.

"I will make sure that it is complete and is built to international standards. I agree with you that this stadium should be called Ahmed Khalif Wajir Stadium," he said.

An emotional president maintained that his administration will not endorse marginalisation, as many people from the region have suffered ethnic profiling, even denying them access to identification cards.

"I want to apologise on behalf of the people of Kenya. It was never meant to be this way. This has been a very emotional moment for me. People here deserve equal dignity and treatment under the law," he said.

President Ruto also clarified that the Presidential Proclamation on the Registration and Issuance of IDs and Birth Certificates in Northern Kenya, signed in February 2025, was not introduced to invite the illegal entry of foreigners.

"It was not an invitation for foreigners to acquire Kenyan documents illegally. Kenyan identity cards will only be issued to legitimate citizens of this Republic," he said.

"Our commitment to justice and inclusion goes hand in hand with our duty to protect the integrity of our national identity and the security of our country."

Adding to the inclusion of communities, he promised a raft of development goodies, among them the construction of a university, expansion of road networks, construction of housing units and better healthcare.

"We affirm that no community is peripheral to our national story. No child is too far away to deserve opportunity. No citizen is too distant to deserve dignity. No county is too remote to deserve development," he said.

The Wajir stadium, constructed in about 100 days, becomes the first of more than 20 that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is expected to implement across the country.

Interior Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo has intimated that the ongoing construction will be completed in a month.

Speaking to the press from Wajir on Sunday, the PS noted that the roofing of the 10,000-seater stadium is 60 percent done and other amenities set to be installed are the tartan track, among others.