Kenyan artiste Bien-Aime Baraza has said it is concerning how much public funds are going into building the Talanta Stadium, and said the government should look more to support its struggling athletes and sporting sector.

“I’m not saying we have a problem with having this modern stadium, but it’s concerning that we are spending too much money,” Bien said in an interview with media personality Oga Obinna on Monday Nov, 2nd 2026. “The issue isn’t the structure but the fact that they are charging too much. We could have used that money elsewhere.”

His statement reignited the conversation around the governments investment in the sporting sector.

He argued that whilst it is very important to build something that can be seen in a big way, it is vital that we look to support those using it. He argued the government should look to support the footballers getting their allowances paid and make sure our football leagues are working properly.

“It’s just a matter of priorities really. We don’t have an issue having Talanta Stadium; we have an issue that we aren’t giving our footballers their allowances and making sure our football league works.”

The artiste said it is concerning that Kenyan athletes such as skater Kevin Kiarie didn’t get the support they needed to play for the country internationally.

“We seem to consistently have issues with funding our athletes because our government are throwing lots of money at these big projects. We are throwing millions of shillings at bringing in foreign football teams and specifically the big teams from Germany (Bayern Munich), yet we aren’t looking to support our own sporting stars,” Bien added.  “So how are we constantly using our money irresponsibly and throwing billions of shillings at bringing in Bayern. I feel like there is an issue there.”

The artiste commented after public concern has arisen around the high cost of building the Talanta Stadium. The stadium initially cost around Ksh35 billion but due to the extra charges it now costs around Ksh45.85 billion. This increase of Ksh10.85 billion has raised concerns from Parliament and the Auditor General.

The government has explained the discrepancy comes down to the taxes, import duties, shipping, clearing and other costs incurred. In August 2026 Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi told Citizen Digital that the original amount was a “preliminary concept” drafted by University of Nairobi Enterprise Services.

The Stadium is part of Kenya’s preparation to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 along with Uganda and Tanzania. It will host large sporting events with a seating capacity of 60,000.

However Bien’s criticism came from the struggles Kenyan athletes are facing. He argued that we shouldn’t be focusing on the stadiums but should look to improve athletes lives, and support our local competitions and provide funds to those who are talented.

His statements have highlighted the issue of how Kenya should look to spend on big sporting projects. He admitted that once Ruto is out of office, the stadium will become an asset to the country. Concerts can be hosted. However he questioned if this was worth the amount of money spent on it.

“Once Ruto leaves that stadium will become an asset to Kenya. We will hold concerts there etc. But how much is it costing us?”