Kenya’s historic hosting of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 qualifiers at Kasarani was celebrated as a major milestone for the country’s sporting landscape.

However, behind the glamour of the high-profile tournament lies a financial crisis, with the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) now struggling to settle mounting debts incurred during the event.

Despite government and FIBA Africa support, KBF officials reveal they are drowning in expenses, raising concerns over the true cost of hosting continental basketball competitions.

In November 2024, Kenya was granted the privileged opportunity by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to host the Road to BAL Elite 16 Stage qualifiers after the hosting rights were relocated from South Africa.

FIBA’s decision to relocate the 2024 BAL Season 5 qualifiers marked the first time the Road to BAL event would be held outside Rwanda.

The competition was moved to the Kasarani Indoor Basketball Court in Nairobi, Kenya, and featured City Oilers from Uganda, Burundi’s Urunani BBC, Johannesburg-based Made by Ball Blue Soldiers (MBB) from South Africa, Zambia’s Bravehearts, Magic Metro from Malawi, Cape Verde’s Kriol Star Basketball team, South Sudan’s Fox Basketball team as well as Kenya’s own Nairobi City Thunder (NCT).

Ecstasy at home

Joyous KBF executives, led by chairman Paul Otula and Secretary General Angela Luchivya, publicised Kenya’s hosting of the Road to BAL qualifiers through a press communication.

Otula stated, “It is with great pride and honour that I take this opportunity to officially announce Kenya’s hosting of the prestigious Road to BAL Elite 16 Stage tournament.”

“Kenya’s selection as the host nation is a monumental milestone for our basketball community. The decision to have Kenya host the event was made by FIBA Africa after other venues were unable to accommodate the tournament, reflecting confidence in Kenya’s organizational capability and passion for the sport,” Otula added.

Kenya’s glamorous sporting party tipped off at Kasarani, with audiences both on-site and online savouring the thrilling qualifiers and witnessing talented basketball players showcase their skills on the court.

However, little did they know the financial agony KBF was enduring to sustain the tournament’s logistical needs.

In a recent BAL interview with PD Wikendi, KBF Secretary General Luchivya opened up about the excruciating financial challenges the federation has been facing since hosting the competition.

Luchivya said that while it was an honour for Kenya to host the qualifiers, the event left KBF burdened with huge debts that the federation is struggling to clear in instalments.

“The BAL qualifiers are over, but as KBF, the competition has left us with enormous debts owed to various federation creditors,” she disclosed.

Luchivya further stated, “Hosting the BAL qualifiers was a very, very expensive affair. Although the Kenya government and FIBA Africa provided some financial support, it was not adequate to cover all the logistical requirements for hosting the tournament.”

“KBF was incurring close to Sh500,000 per day and above during the qualifiers. We paid the government agency Sports Kenya, which manages Kasarani, Sh116,000 for hiring the court, Sh40,000 per hour for indoor court lighting–totalling Sh320,000 for an eight-hour game duration–Sh40,000 for the LED results display screen, and Sh30,000 for the VIP room. Additionally, our gate collections were subjected to a 20 per cent tax by Sports Kenya,” Luchivya lamented.

She recalled that while hosting the qualifiers was a glamorous experience, KBF ended up drowning in massive debts.

“That is why Rwanda, which has periodically hosted BAL competitions, declined to host it last year. The same goes for South Africa. Many KBF stakeholders do not realize we are now steeped in debts that we are struggling to settle,” she added.

Financial constraints

“Our counterparts at the Rwanda Basketball Federation (FERWABA) shared with us the financial agony they endured. They told us they have been hosting BAL qualifiers and BAL proper at Kigali Indoor Arena primarily as a public relations move for Rwanda. Otherwise, countries across Africa avoid hosting BAL competitions. The financial benefits are only realized two to three years later,” Luchivya revealed.

However, during a cost verification exercise by PD Wikendi at the Sports Kenya reservations office, staff member Judy Kirigo disputed the high venue and facility costs attributed to Luchivya.

Kirigo clarified that the prescribed Sports Kenya charges for hiring the Kasarani court for international tournaments stand at Sh139,000, inclusive of floodlighting and the LED screen board.

“If catering services are required, the one-off cost is Sh174,000, while the federation can recoup costs from additional competition catering days. The daily venue cleaning fee is Sh58,000, the two-hour team training fee is Sh11,600, and a 20 per cent levy is applied to overall gate collections for international tournaments. At Sports Kenya, we are not cost-punitive; we are here to support and promote sports,” Kirigo affirmed.

In a parting shot, Luchivya said that Rwanda’s multiple hosting experiences show that by the second and third year of hosting BAL competitions, a federation starts reaping huge financial returns from corporate sponsors and entities eager to associate with the competition and elevate their brands.