Kenya raises sports budget to Sh18.3 billion ahead of global events
According to the 2025/2026 budget estimates, Sh17.8 billion has been earmarked for the development and management of sports facilities, up from Sh17.1 billion in the current financial year.
As Kenya gears up to host eight global competitions and send 40 national teams abroad, the government has increased sports funding by more than Sh700 million in the upcoming financial year.
The move signals an aggressive push to raise the country’s profile on the international stage while also strengthening talent development at home.
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According to the 2025/2026 budget estimates, Sh17.8 billion has been earmarked for the development and management of sports facilities, up from Sh17.1 billion in the current financial year.
Another Sh516.4 million has been allocated to sports training and competitions, reflecting a Sh102 million increase.
The additional funding will support Kenya’s preparations for international events such as the Safari Rally, Kip Keino Classic, Magical Kenya Golf Championship, Sirikwa Classic, and the 2026 World Athletics Junior Championship.
The country will also take part in key competitions abroad, including the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers, and the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo.
Kenya’s heightened activity on the global stage is also being matched by investments in athlete and official training.
The Kenya Academy of Sports plans to train 2,700 athletes and 1,500 technical and administrative staff, while also carrying out three research programmes and developing training content in five disciplines.
Part of the budget will also go to anti-doping efforts, with 1,300 tests planned and awareness programmes targeting 18,000 people.
Meanwhile, the Sports Registrar aims to register 350 new organisations, license 30 professional athletes, inspect 45 sports federations, and digitise the registration system.
At the facility level, the budget will fund major projects such as the completion of Talanta Sports City and the upgrading of key venues, including Moi International Sports Centre, Nyayo National Stadium, and Kipchoge Keino Stadium.
These venues are critical as Kenya prepares to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
However, even as funding increases, concerns have emerged over Kenya’s readiness to host the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in August 2025.
The National Assembly Sports Committee has raised doubts about the country’s preparedness, especially with ongoing delays at Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums, which are earmarked to host the tournament.
Appearing before the committee on Monday, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi faced tough questions from lawmakers over the pace of work.
With only two months left before the competition, the facilities remain incomplete. “The completed date of December 2025 for the stadiums is for AFCON. We know they have given us some more requirements in as far as hosting of AFCON (2027) is concerned,” Mwangi said.
The tournament was initially scheduled for February but was pushed to August due to unpreparedness. The PS defended the current state of the facilities.
“The requirement standards are not that high compared to AFCON 2027. The two have different parameters in terms of expectations of CAF. For CHAN, we are ready and the requirements for CHAN are lower compared to AFCON, so to date we are ready,” Mwangi said.
“We expect the team from CAF for inspections next week, as far as hosting of CHAN is concerned,” he added.
Kenya is set to host the CHAN tournament alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
The Kenya Academy of Sports will also complete Phase 1B of its new complex and launch the construction of 40 Constituency Sports Academies across the country. The total allocation to the department has risen from Sh200,863,695 to Sh208,454,221.
Although spending on training and competitions is expected to decline in later years, funding for facilities is projected to rise to Sh18.9 billion in 2026/2027 and Sh20 billion in 2027/2028.
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