NAIROBI, Kenya – An audit by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has exposed massive procurement irregularities, incomplete works, and questionable payments in stadium construction projects, putting Sports Kenya at the centre of a multi-billion-shilling accountability storm.
The report, covering the financial year ending June 30, 2024, shows taxpayers may have lost up to Sh1.7 billion in projects plagued by illegal contracting and weak oversight.
Despite Sh6.1 billion already spent, many facilities remain incomplete or entangled in procedural breaches.
The revelations challenge the Kenya Kwanza government’s pledge of transparency in sports development.
They also suggest that the successful hosting of CHAN 2024 at Kasarani Stadium and preparations for Talanta Stadium mask deeper governance failures across the sector.
Kericho Green Stadium: Works Before Tender
At the Sh408 million Kericho Green Stadium, auditors found the contractor began engaging with Sports Kenya weeks before tenders were opened.
Records show designs were submitted in July 2023, even though the award was granted on September 4.
A letter from the State Department for Public Works dated September 5, 2023, astonishingly reported 50 per cent project completion just a day after contract signing.
“It is not practical for the contractor to achieve 50 per cent progress a day after signing the contract unless the contractor had already commenced works before the signing,” Gathungu observed.
The contractor accepted the award before formal approval and only registered with the National Construction Authority after being pre-engaged—clear breaches of procurement law.
Bukhungu Stadium: Paid for Incomplete Works
Phase III of Bukhungu Stadium, awarded at Sh760 million, proceeded without a memorandum of understanding between Sports Kenya and Kakamega County.
Auditors flagged Sh152 million paid for incomplete, poorly defined, and possibly duplicated works, with Phase II itself still unfinished as of September 2023.
“The value for money and propriety of the expenditure could not be confirmed,” the audit stated.
At Masinde Muliro-Kanduyi Stadium, the contractor signed the contract on March 1, 2024, before formally accepting the award, contravening the 14-day standstill period meant to allow resolution of tender disputes.
Bigger Picture: Systemic Failures
The audit paints a picture of systemic mismanagement, weak oversight, and disregard for procurement laws in Sports Kenya’s handling of stadium projects.
While marquee events such as CHAN have succeeded on the surface, Gathungu warned that the underlying governance failures risk eroding public trust and squandering billions in taxpayer money.
