Kenya’s co-hosting of the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) has unleashed a rare surge of collective pride. The roar of packed stadiums, the wave of national colours, and the jubilant chants that echo across Nairobi and beyond have all underscored one truth: sports hold an extraordinary power to unite a nation. In these moments, Kenyans set aside political, ethnic, and economic divides to cheer as one people, a reminder of the profound ability of sport to bind a country together in ways that politics and policy rarely can.

The Economics of Sport

Even so, beneath the pomp and colour lies a sobering reality. The CHAN tournament, for all its symbolism, has also exposed fault lines in Kenya’s sports ecosystem. The clamour of fans for accessible tickets and the frustrations around a flawed ticketing model spoke volumes about systemic inefficiencies. Citizens showed that they will not just celebrate victories on the pitch; they will also demand fairness, accountability, and quality service in every aspect of their interaction with sport. Their complaints mirrored the broader national impatience with the government’s failure to deliver services efficiently and transparently.

At the same time, the tournament has illuminated the economic significance of sport. Too often dismissed as mere recreation, sport is an industry in its own right. Globally, it is valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, and for countries that have invested deliberately in governance and infrastructure, it has become a pillar of the economy. Kenya, with its reputation as the home of world-beating athletes, has all the raw ingredients to become a continental sporting powerhouse. Yet this potential remains largely dormant, suffocated by chronic mismanagement.

The benefits are not hypothetical. Sporting events generate revenue for hotels, restaurants, transport services, retailers, and the creative economy. They create jobs for coaches, referees, physiotherapists, kit suppliers, and media producers. They project a country’s brand to the world and offer a form of diplomacy that few other sectors can. South Africa demonstrated this during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where investments in infrastructure, coupled with strong governance, transformed the country’s global image and created lasting tourism and commercial benefits. Morocco has similarly invested in football academies and governance reforms, with the Mohammed VI Football Academy now cited as a model for producing world-class talent under transparent systems. Kenya, in contrast, too often leaves its athletes to succeed despite, rather than because of, its sports institutions.

Governance Wrangles: The Achilles’ Heel

The root of the problem lies in governance. For decades, Kenya’s sports federations have been embroiled in endless leadership wrangles that have reduced them to caricatures of dysfunction. Rugby, once a source of continental pride, has been repeatedly undermined by allegations of mismanagement and opaque financial dealings. Volleyball, despite the triumphs of the Malkia Strikers, remains plagued by factional disputes. Football, the country’s most popular sport, has been a revolving door of disputes that have attracted FIFA sanctions in the past and repeatedly stifle progress. These crises are not accidents; they are symptoms of federations run as personal fiefdoms rather than institutions entrusted with public responsibility. Elections are marred by patronage, accountability is non-existent, and financial transparency is treated as optional.

Other African countries have faced similar crises but chosen reform. South Africa’s rugby union, once bedevilled by racial politics and management failures, turned itself around by embracing governance reforms that prioritised transparency and inclusivity. Today, the Springboks are not just world champions; they are symbols of a national brand that blends excellence with integrity. Morocco’s football federation, once plagued by the same dysfunction Kenya knows all too well, rebuilt itself with new leadership, investment in facilities, and strict governance protocols. The result has been a national team that reached the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup, backed by a system that continues to produce talent for global clubs. Kenya’s federations can no longer hide behind excuses; reform is possible when governance is taken seriously.

The Essence of Corporate Governance

Proper governance is therefore not an abstract ideal. It is the difference between federations that inspire trust and those that repel investment. Governance means clarity in the allocation of resources, ensuring that sponsorship funds, government allocations, and gate collections are used for their intended purposes. It means accountability of leadership, where federations are not run as personal empires but as professional institutions subject to oversight and regulation. It means putting athletes at the centre, ensuring that their welfare, pay, and career pathways are protected. It means involving stakeholders, including fans, athletes, coaches, and sponsors, in the decision-making process. Moreover, it means compliance with international standards, thereby avoiding the embarrassment of suspensions and bans from global competitions.

A Public Policy Blueprint

This is where public policy must step in. Sport cannot be left to fend for itself within broken governance structures. The state has a responsibility to create an environment in which federations are compelled to operate with transparency and professionalism. Kenya urgently needs to reassess its sports governance framework, similar to the corporate governance codes that govern listed companies. This review should embody accountability principles, enforce necessary disclosures, and prevent the entrenchment of leaders who view federations as lifetime appointments. Compliance should not be optional, and failure to adhere to governance rules needs to be sanctionable. 

The Sports Registrar, currently a passive custodian of documents, should be reimagined as an active regulator with investigative and enforcement powers, capable of conducting audits, publishing findings, and holding officials accountable.

Governance reform cannot be limited to policing alone; it must also involve building capacity. Kenya has invested in stadiums and training facilities, yet infrastructure without reform is like water poured into a leaking pot. Public investment must be matched with proper management structures, professional oversight, and strong partnerships with the private sector. Corporates, after all, are willing to invest in sport when they are confident that their sponsorship will be managed transparently and yield a return. Without credible governance, however, they withdraw, leaving athletes stranded.

We should also be able to embed athlete development into its public policy. The identification and nurturing of talent should not be left to chance. Schools, universities, and counties should be part of a coordinated pipeline, ensuring that sports are treated not as extracurricular activities but as legitimate career paths. Proper medical cover, structured leagues, and youth academies must be institutionalised. Such measures not only protect athletes from exploitation but also ensure that Kenya can consistently produce world-class talent.

Beyond the Pitch: A National Mirror

Beyond economics and athlete welfare, the governance of sport carries a symbolic weight. Sport mirrors society. The same public distrust that Kenyans express toward political leadership is increasingly directed at sports federations. The CHAN ticketing fiasco is more than an administrative mishap; it was a reminder that citizens expect efficiency and accountability across all sectors.

If we cannot reform governance in sport, a sector that commands passion, pride, and unity, how can it claim to be serious about governance in more complex domains, such as healthcare, taxation, or public finance? In this sense, sports reform is not a trivial pursuit. It is a litmus test for the country’s capacity to reform its institutions.

Conclusion: From Wrangles to Winning

The challenge, therefore, is to turn the energy witnessed during the ongoing CHAN fiesta into a catalyst for institutional renewal. We should not let the tournament be remembered only for the jubilation of fans or the victories of its national team. It should be remembered as the moment when the country confronted the dysfunction in its sports federations and resolved to build structures worthy of its athletes’ talent and its citizens’ passion.

If we can transition from wrangles to winning through sound governance, sport will transform into one of the most dynamic engines of social cohesion and economic growth. Imagine federations run with the same professionalism as top corporations, athletes thriving under transparent systems, and fans engaging with a product they can trust. That vision is not a fantasy; it is a policy choice.

The power of sport has already been proven on the pitches and tracks. What remains is the more challenging task of ensuring that the institutions off the pitch are reformed and rebuilt. Only then will Kenya’s enormous sporting potential be fully realised, not as an occasional burst of pride during tournaments, but as a sustainable force for unity, prosperity, and global recognition.