An audit of Sports Kenya has unearthed a disturbing truth. The agency tasked with managing the country’s sporting infrastructure does not hold a title deed for one of Kenya’s most iconic facilities, the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
The revelation, made before the National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee on Social Services (PIC-SSAA), has laid bare a trail of questionable expenditures, inflated budgets, and stalled projects.
With billions of taxpayer dollars invested in failed ventures, the missing Kasarani Stadium title deed has now become a powerful symbol of government negligence and systemic corruption in sports management.
Missing Kasarani Stadium Title Deed Exposes Corruption and Collapsed Vision 2030 Projects
Sports Kenya’s top officials admitted during the parliamentary grilling that the agency is still pursuing ownership documents for the over 200-acre parcel of land through the National Land Commission. This shocking disclosure confirmed that Kenya’s biggest sports complex operates without formal proof of ownership.
Lawmakers were left puzzled by the fact that Sports Kenya has been spending heavily on maintenance and upgrades for a stadium it does not legally own. Members of the Committee, chaired by Caleb Amisi of Saboti, demanded answers on how such negligence could persist for years without corrective action.
The lack of a title deed, MPs warned, puts the stadium at risk of land disputes and exposes taxpayers to potential financial losses. It also highlights the lack of accountability in an agency that has repeatedly mishandled public funds under the pretext of advancing sports infrastructure.
Billions Lost on Stadiums That Were Never Built
The audit further revealed an even deeper scandal. Three proposed national stadiums in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Eldoret, estimated to cost Ksh42 billion, never got off the ground. Yet, the government spent Ksh99.6 million on a feasibility study and Ksh57 million on architectural and project management services.
All these funds were released despite Sports Kenya lacking title deeds for the lands earmarked for the projects. No construction ever began.
Committee members expressed outrage that such vast sums could be wasted on consultancy work without first securing land ownership. MPs accused Sports Kenya of recklessly burning taxpayer funds while delivering nothing tangible.
Stadium Projects Under Vision 2030 Stalled for a Decade
The troubled projects trace back to the Vision 2030 blueprint and the Sports Act 2013. Funds were allocated between the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 financial years, but a decade later, the stadiums remain a mirage.
Instead of boosting sports development, the ventures are on the verge of joining Kenya’s long list of ghost projects. Lawmakers warned that if the government does not move quickly, the funds already spent will be lost permanently, making the projects another entry in Kenya’s hall of wasted investments.
Appearing before the committee, Acting Director General Gabriel Komora and other senior managers had little defense. They failed to provide documentation to justify the expenditures and could not explain why ownership was never secured before public funds were released.
Inflated Costs and Dubious Payments Raise Red Flags
The audit also unearthed inflated costs and suspicious payments in Sports Kenya’s books. The Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, initially contracted at Ksh109.7 million, ballooned to Ksh355.1 million—an increase of more than 200 percent.
When pressed, officials could not account for the inflated budgets. They were further ordered to produce documents for a fresh Ksh3.5 billion rehabilitation project at the same facility.
Adding to the outrage, MPs learned that Sports Kenya paid Ksh24.4 million to a Moscow football club under unclear circumstances. The expenditure raised more questions about financial discipline within the agency and whether public funds were siphoned off through questionable foreign transactions.
