PS Mwangi rallies corporates to bridge sports funding gap in Kenya

Speaking during a press briefing ahead of the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN), PS Mwangi revealed that the ministry currently has over 140 registered sports federations, many of which have submitted funding requests amounting to over KSh 5 billion, far surpassing the ministry’s current budget capacity.

For the 2025/26 financial year, the Ministry of Sports has been allocated KSh 16.69 billion, with KSh 13.5 billion going to the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund.

“The request of 15 billion cannot be made by the ministry alone, the income tax act allows those corporates that supports sports activities in terms of sponsorships to claim back tax allowable expenses, so I urge our corporates to come forward and support our sportsmen and women,” PS Mwangi noted.

Despite the shortfall ,additional allocations such as KSh 2.3 billion for the automation of the Sports Registrar, KSh 402 million for Sports Kenya, KSh 245 million for the Kenya Academy of Sports, and KSh 241 million for the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK).

Mwangi assured federations that the ministry remains open to supporting all sports disciplines, not just mainstream ones.

He encouraged more federations to bid for international tournaments, pointing to the success of recent events such as the African Para Volley Championships, the Junior Rollball World Cup, and the upcoming rafting tournament.

“We will continue supporting our federations and support those bidding to host international tournaments in the country because it would be beneficial in exposing the local talents we have and also be a step towards marketing the country.”

The call comes at a critical time as Kenya ramps up preparations to co-host CHAN 2025, with the ministry emphasizing collaboration to ensure successful delivery and broader sports development across all disciplines.