Kenya’s stadium building ambitions have been thrown into disarray after lawmakers uncovered shocking revelations of billions lost in consultancy and feasibility studies for projects that never materialised.
At the centre of the storm are three proposed national stadiums in Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret, once touted as the crown jewels of Vision 2030.
According to records tabled before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture, Sports Kenya paid out nearly 100 million shillings for feasibility studies and a further 57 million for architectural and project management services.
Yet, almost a decade later, no construction has begun, and the agency has not secured land titles for the sites.
“How do you justify spending millions on consultancy when you don’t even own the land?” pressed Vice-Chairperson Caleb Amisi during the grilling of Sports Kenya officials at Parliament Buildings.
The scandal has triggered outrage among MPs, who warned that the country is staring at a monumental waste of public funds.
The projects were estimated at a staggering 42 billion shillings. Instead, they have become symbols of mismanagement and empty promises.
Sports Kenya’s Acting Director General, Gabriel Komora, admitted that land ownership remains unresolved, citing encroachment and historical disputes.
Lawmakers dismissed the explanations, calling the payments “unforgivable losses” to the taxpayer.
The consultancy scandal is only one piece of a broader picture of waste.
MPs highlighted how the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret spiralled out of control, with its original 109 million shilling budget ballooning to 355 million.
Other queries included a 24.4 million shilling payment linked to a Moscow football club and the failure to remit 16 million in employee tax deductions.
The committee has demanded a full audit of all stadium projects since 2015 and will conduct physical inspections of disputed sites.
Members warned Sports Kenya executives that failure to provide full disclosures could attract subpoenas.
“This is the height of impunity,” Amisi declared. “We will not sit back as billions disappear into consultancy papers while Kenyans are left with empty fields instead of stadiums.”
The revelations come as the cost of Talanta Stadium, a flagship facility under construction in Nairobi, is projected to surpass Ksh100 billion by completion — a figure that has stunned both parliamentarians and the public. Lawmakers warned that the spiralling costs are a symptom of chronic mismanagement in the sports sector, where inflated contracts, stalled projects and dubious expenditures have become routine.
