In an affair reminiscent of the 2016 Rio Olympics scandal in which government officials fleeced athletes of their hard-earned money, the Sports Ministry has again sunk Sh1 billion into consultancies for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Some of the billions went into feasibility studies for sports academies in constituencies, according to documents presented in Parliament by Sports and Culture Principal Secretary Peter Tum.
The department spent a whopping Sh1 billion to procure consultancy services for AFCON stadia and another Sh352 million for regional consultancy services, documents tabled before the Sports and Culture Committee show.
The ministry also spent another Sh1.5 billion to carry out design feasibility studies and topographical surveys ahead of the construction of constituency sports academies.
But there is little on the ground to show that stadiums and other sports facilities have been developed.
The documents also show that the ministry spent another Sh1.3 billion for phase one of the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) complex at Kasarani, Sh424 million for phase 1B, completing a KAS hostel (comprising the second to the eighth) and setting up an access gate.
Contracts terminated
It also spent Sh3.1 billion to renovate the Moi International Sports Centre in Nairobi.
Appearing before the committee with his counterpart from the Youth Affairs and Creative docket, Ismail Maalim, Tum explained that the ministry hired consultants from the University of Nairobi.
But he added that the ministry was reviewing its engagement with the consultants, noting that the contracts of some of them had been terminated.
“The ministry has terminated the contracts of some of the consultant firms in the new arrangements,” Tum said.
MPs on the committee, which is chaired by Dan Wanyama (Webuye West), took the PS to task to explain how the department could incur such huge expenditure on consultancy services.
They questioned how the ministry could justify using billions of shillings to pay consultants.
Posed Basil Ngui (Yatta): “Why would the ministry spend more than a billion paying hired consultants for projects such as Talanta stadium and sports academies among others.”
He added: “Why can’t the ministry use the services of experts from the Public Works Department.”
Wanyama said the two PSs held the keys to the success of young people and advised them to ensure that ongoing projects are been completed.
“The Gen Zs are relying on you … make sure you empower them through sports,” he said.
The ministry had said in April that the construction of the Talanta Sports City was progressing well while the upgrading of Kasarani Stadium was on schedule.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, while Morocco will stage the 2025 edition.
Tum was updating legislators on the budget implementation for the financial year 2023/24 for 22 projects that were in various stages of completion.
The documents presented by the PS show that Sh115.2 million was set aside for automation and digitisation systems for the sports registrar’s office and records, and Sh20 million for the construction of the Malinya stadium in Ikolomani constituency in Kakamega county that is used for bullfighting.
