Police in Nairobi are investigating the sudden death of a Chinese worker who was found unresponsive in a latrine at the Talanta Stadium premises in Jamhuri, Nairobi which is being built to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) .
The incident was reported on Monday morning by officers stationed at the stadium, which is under construction.
Preliminary information indicates that, that morning, a chef attached to the Chinese management at the facility discovered an adult Chinese male unresponsive inside a community latrine.
Security officers guarding the premises, together with other Chinese nationals, responded to the scene and confirmed the situation before rushing the man to Nairobi Hospital.
However, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Police later visited the hospital’s emergency department, where the body was examined and processed.
Authorities noted a slight injury on the right side of the head, though the cause of death remains unclear.
The body was moved to Lee Funeral Home, where it awaits a postmortem examination.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, Nairobi police boss Issa Mohamud said.
He said they are open to both murder and sudden death probe.
With the Talanta Stadium nearing completion, the facility has already been declared the best-ever on the continent ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations which it will host.
The ultra-modern 60,000-seater Talanta Stadium will be the main venue, being supplemented by the Kasarani Stadium.
The stadium, which is over 85 per cent complete, has three outdoor training pitches, luxury skyboxes, and integrated rail links to ease fan transportation while there are plans to build a 300-room four-star hotel and a mall that will occupy 30,000 square metres.
Talanta Stadium, located in Nairobi’s Jamhuri, will also have seven modern changing rooms, VIP lounges, fully equipped media centres and VAR booths integrated with goal-line technology among other things.
Kenya’s AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee chairman Nicholas Musonye believes Kenya has outdone itself on Talanta Stadium and would even like it if the country was to be given hosting rights for both the opening and final matches of AFCON 2027.
“I was in Morocco [and] our Talanta is far more advanced, modern and very specious compared to what we saw in Morocco,” he added. “Don’t be cheated by the TV, what we have is the best in Africa.”
“I want Kenyans to be proud of this. We have a good stadium that is coming up and we shall be ready to host AFCON. We are saying that we will be ready to host the opening and closing [matches] if we are given that opportunity,” he further stated.
