During a
visit to China in 1980, Kenyan President
Daniel arap Moi requested that
China fund a national sports center for Kenya. After signing a series of protocols and agreements, China began work on the Moi International Sports Center in 1982. The stadium was closed in January 2010 for renovation works worth
KSh.900 million, funded by a grant to the
Government of Kenya by the
Government of China. Chinese firm, Sheng Li Engineering Construction Company Limited, was contracted to conduct the renovations. The renovation works started in August 2010 and took 12 months. The stadium was reopened in March 2012 after completion of the renovations. In April and May 2014, after terror attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa, the main stadium was used as a screening center as part of 'Operation Usalama Watch' during which thousands of people were rounded up and arrested by the Kenya Police. The stadium hosted the
2017 World U18 Championships in Athletics and
2021 World Athletics U20 Championships. The stadium was closed for renovations in 2024, due to it selection to host the
CHAN 2024 early in 2025, as well as the
2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The refurbishments saw the capacity reduced from 65 to 55 thousand, a new larger roof installed, flood lighting upgraded to 3,000 Lux,
Video Assistant Referee cameras installed as well as various upgrades to the workstations inside the stadium. ==Facilities==