Parliament Denies Sports Ministry Budget Increase for AFCON

The National Assembly Committee on Sports and Culture has turned down a request from the Sports Ministry to raise Kenya’s budget for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations from Ksh.3.5 billion to Ksh.5 billion.
Committee chair Dan Wanyama stated the reasons provided were insufficient, emphasizing that Kenya is sharing tournament hosting duties with Uganda and Tanzania as part of the Pamoja initiative.
“You actually need to reduce your budget since the event is being organized by three countries. Your request for additional funds shouldn’t be based on a nation that hosted AFCON alone,” he commented.
The decision followed a revelation by Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi that Kenya has yet to pay the required Ksh.3.5 billion hosting fee to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), whereas Uganda and Tanzania have already made their payments.
The Ministry had approached the committee seeking inclusion of the payment in a supplementary budget to prevent any negative impact on Kenya’s relationship with CAF.
Mr. Mwangi justified the proposed increase, referencing a fact-finding trip to Morocco’s AFCON, where he noticed superior standards that would require greater financial investment.
Nevertheless, parliamentarians maintained that co-hosting should reduce Kenya’s financial obligations. Even after rejecting the boost, the committee pledged assistance in working with the Treasury to secure the hosting fee.
The Budget Policy Statement establishes the Sports Department’s limit at Ksh.25.49 billion for 2026/27, comprising Ksh.7.38 billion for regular expenses and Ksh.18.11 billion for development projects.
The proceedings also highlighted broader funding challenges throughout the Ministry. Culture PS Ummi Bashir disclosed that her department needs Ksh.5.7 billion for recurrent expenditure but was given only Ksh.2.8 billion, causing numerous initiatives to come to a halt.
Legislators also scrutinized allocations such as Ksh.37 million (subsequently adjusted to Ksh.23.6 million) for presidential visits to counties during cultural occasions, describing it as redundant.
Within the Creative Economy division, Ksh.145 million was designated for policy and legislation development, while PS Jacobs Fikirini reported a funding deficit of Ksh.2.043 billion for the Film Services Programme, which had requested Ksh.2.891 billion but was allocated merely Ksh.848.17 million.