Sauti Sol lead singer Bien has revealed that the government denied the music band permission to host the 2023 Sol Fest at the Nyayo Stadium.
National stadia in Kenya are managed by Sport Kenya which is under the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and The Arts.
Speaking during an interview on the Iko Nini Podcast, Bien said that Sauti Sol was told by authorities that they couldn't host the 2023 Sol Fest at the Nyayo Stadium because fans would destroy 'international systems' at the facility.
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Bien noted that they were told Nyayo Stadium had sprinklers on the pitch and a tracking system which revelers could have damaged if they had been allowed to hold Sol Fest at the facility.
"Solfest ilikua inafaa kukua Nyayo Stadium tukaambiwa tuwezi pewa Nyayo Stadium because wasee hawawezi kanyaga nyasi - kuna sprinkler system international hapo chini yenye itaaribiwa na wasee wakikanyaga hio nyasi. Alafu pia hio tracks ziko na timers wasee wakikimbia. Ziko na tracking system underneath the track yenye pia haifai kukugwa so watu hawawezi kanyaga hio ninii wengi," Bien said.
The irony is that the government allowed the Christian faithful to attend Benny Hinn's crusade at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, February 24, 2024, and Sunday.
Thousands throned Nyayo Stadium and sat on the terraces as well as on the pitch during the two-day crusade.
What happened to those sprinklers on the pitch and a tracking system when Nyayo Stadium was packed to capacity last weekend?
Several sports pundits lamented the opening up of Nyayo Stadium for the crusade when it is supposed to be closed for renovations ahead of this year’s CAF Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) football tournament.
Sol Fest
The 2023 Sol Fest was held on November 4, at Uhuru Gardens.
The group hosted the event ahead of their break to focus on their solo careers.
VIP tickets for the 2023 Sol Fest went for a whopping Ksh20,000 and amazing they sold out a month ahead of the event.
Despite tickets being a bit pricy, Kenyans showed up in large numbers to attend Sauti Sol's final event as a band.
