Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has confirmed that the government has approved funding to enable Kenya’s national broadcaster, Kenya National Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), to broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup on free-to-air television.
The Cabinet Secretary made the announcement on June 4 when Gor Mahia FC visited his office at the Treasury in Nairobi to present the FKF Premier League trophy, assuring Kenyans they will not be denied the opportunity to watch the global tournament.
The CS revealed that he personally contacted KBC Managing Director Kaleche, who is currently finalizing the necessary arrangements to secure the deal.
“World Cup is coming in a couple of days, and we are looking forward to this football extravaganza. I know we had some challenges in supporting KBC to air it, but we have resolved that,” Mbadi said.
According to Mbadi, the national government has already approved the funding required to secure the Free-to-Air rights, removing the biggest obstacle that had threatened Kenyans’ access to the games.
“This morning, I actually spoke to Kaleche, who is the Managing Director, and there is something she is working on. We have already approved funding from the national government to support the broadcast.”
The intervention comes as a relief to millions of Kenyan football fans who had anxiously watched the deadline approach with no clear assurance they would be able to watch the tournament at home.
KBC had faced a challenging situation, requiring an estimated Ksh150 million to acquire the broadcast rights for a tournament spanning 104 matches.
The sheer scale of the 2026 World Cup, the largest in International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) history, featuring 48 teams, made the cost of rights significantly higher than previous editions, straining public broadcaster budgets.
Delays in government disbursements had stalled negotiations with FIFA, leaving KBC uncertain as the June 11 kick-off date approached without a confirmed deal in place.
The situation triggered concern in the country, with the National Assembly’s Committee on Communications, Information and Innovation discussing with KBC over the budget shortfall in a series of meetings.
Globally, broadcasting rights are valued at approximately Ksh500 million (USD3.9 billion), with costs varying widely depending on a country’s market size and population.
China’s state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), negotiated its deal down to around Ksh7.7 billion (USD60 million), a significant discount from FIFA’s original asking price of between Ksh32 billion and Ksh39 billion (USD250 and USD300 million).
India’s rights were secured in an eight-year deal with Zee Entertainment for Ksh5.2 billion (over USD40 million), after earlier negotiations with other platforms collapsed due to pricing disagreements.
For a country like Kenya with one of the largest football fan bases globally, where public broadcasting budgets are constrained, the cost pressure is immense, making the government’s direct intervention not just timely but essential for fans nationwide.