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A notable milestone in Kenyan sports was marked on January 30th, 2026, when the National Sports Policy 2026 and the draft Sports Bill, 2026 were formally received by the Sports CS.
The Taskforce on the Review of National Sports Policy and Legislation, appointed in November 2024 and chaired by John Ohaga, presented these instruments intended to amend the Sports Act, 2013. The documents reflect a deliberate effort to review the legal and institutional framework governing sport.
The 2013 Act established foundational institutions for the regulation and governance of sport in Kenya by establishing institutions such as Sports Kenya, the Sports Disputes Tribunal and the Kenya Academy of Sports. With the passage of time, gaps in legislation became apparent as the sports sector grew and presenting new challenges. The National Sports Policy 2026 assesses these developments and underscores the need for alignment with the realities of modern sport, including new phenomena such as eSports.
The uptake of the transitional registration regime under section 49 of the 2013 Act has dragged on and remains one of the disputes at the SDT. While designed to facilitate the orderly transition of sports organisations, it raised questions regarding the consequences of non-compliance. The Bill addresses this by ensuring regulation is not optional, casting a wide net for registration and licensing in sports.
The 2013 Act also vests regulatory responsibility in the Sports Registrar. The 2026 Bill proposes the establishment of a National Sports Regulatory Authority (NSRA) to enhance oversight and coordination. While this reflects an intention to strengthen regulation through synergy, the final framework must clearly delineate roles, reporting lines and decision-making authority to avoid clashes between offices such as the Director General and Sports Registrar.
The 2026 Bill ambitiously expands issues such as integrity, athlete welfare and governance standards by bringing them into substantive law rather than just subsidiary legislation. Particularly significant is bringing anti-doping and integrity-related matters under the jurisdiction of the SDT in the main legislation, unlike currently, where it is only the Anti-Doping Act that grants this jurisdiction.
There has been concern about an increase in doping-related cases. In 2024, the Tribunal handled 70 national-level doping cases; reducing to 62 cases in 2025; and by January 2026, 15 doping cases had already been filed. These figures illustrate the growing demand for specialised and timely dispute resolution mechanisms. With events such as the 2026 Enhanced Games making brazen efforts to legalise doped competition, regulatory ideals must spread across all sports sections.
The other expansion of the SDT’s jurisdiction should lead to fewer objections about its ripeness to handle matters. The statutory allowance of appeals to the High Court also gives a new direction from the previous position, where such appeals were not of right. Matters like match-fixing may straddle the boundary between regulatory discipline and criminal liability, requiring clear statutory distinctions to preserve the Tribunal’s adjudicative mandate while respecting the role of ordinary courts in criminal justice.
Athletes remain central stakeholders in the sports ecosystem. The National Sports Policy 2026 places commendable emphasis on safeguarding, welfare, and post-career support, especially for the vulnerable.
An important consideration going forward will be the harmonisation of sports institutions. The proposed NSRA creates a significant regulatory body, though clear coordination among Directorates, dispute resolution mechanisms and enforcement agencies is essential to prevent overlap, conflicting mandates and procedural uncertainty.
The National Sports Policy 2026 and Sports Bill 2026 acknowledge existing gaps while offering a pathway towards a coherent, accountable and athlete-centered regulatory framework. The 2026 Bill will form good discussions during public participation sessions. If enacted, the reforms have the potential to strengthen regulation and bolster integrity in sport, leading the Kenyan sports industry as a structured, sustainable and nationally valuable sector.
-The writer is chairperson of the Sports Disputes Tribunal
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A notable milestone in Kenyan sports was marked on January 30th, 2026, when the National Sports Policy 2026 and the draft Sports Bill, 2026 were formally received by the Sports CS.
The Taskforce on the Review of National Sports Policy and Legislation, appointed in November 2024 and chaired by John Ohaga, presented these instruments intended to amend the Sports Act, 2013. The documents reflect a deliberate effort to review the legal and institutional framework governing sport.
The 2013 Act established foundational institutions for the regulation and governance of sport in Kenya by establishing institutions such as Sports Kenya, the Sports Disputes Tribunal and the Kenya Academy of Sports. With the passage of time, gaps in legislation became apparent as the sports sector grew and presenting new challenges. The National Sports Policy 2026 assesses these developments and underscores the need for alignment with the realities of modern sport, including new phenomena such as eSports.
The uptake of the transitional registration regime under section 49 of the 2013 Act has dragged on and remains one of the disputes at the SDT. While designed to facilitate the orderly transition of sports organisations, it raised questions regarding the consequences of non-compliance. The Bill addresses this by ensuring regulation is not optional, casting a wide net for registration and licensing in sports.
The 2013 Act also vests regulatory responsibility in the Sports Registrar. The 2026 Bill proposes the establishment of a National Sports Regulatory Authority (NSRA) to enhance oversight and coordination. While this reflects an intention to strengthen regulation through synergy, the final framework must clearly delineate roles, reporting lines and decision-making authority to avoid clashes between offices such as the Director General and Sports Registrar.
The 2026 Bill ambitiously expands issues such as integrity, athlete welfare and governance standards by bringing them into substantive law rather than just subsidiary legislation. Particularly significant is bringing anti-doping and integrity-related matters under the jurisdiction of the SDT in the main legislation, unlike currently, where it is only the Anti-Doping Act that grants this jurisdiction.
There has been concern about an increase in doping-related cases. In 2024, the Tribunal handled 70 national-level doping cases; reducing to 62 cases in 2025; and by January 2026, 15 doping cases had already been filed. These figures illustrate the growing demand for specialised and timely dispute resolution mechanisms. With events such as the 2026 Enhanced Games making brazen efforts to legalise doped competition, regulatory ideals must spread across all sports sections.
The other expansion of the SDT’s jurisdiction should lead to fewer objections about its ripeness to handle matters. The statutory allowance of appeals to the High Court also gives a new direction from the previous position, where such appeals were not of right. Matters like match-fixing may straddle the boundary between regulatory discipline and criminal liability, requiring clear statutory distinctions to preserve the Tribunal’s adjudicative mandate while respecting the role of ordinary courts in criminal justice.
Athletes remain central stakeholders in the sports ecosystem. The National Sports Policy 2026 places commendable emphasis on safeguarding, welfare, and post-career support, especially for the vulnerable.
An important consideration going forward will be the harmonisation of sports institutions. The proposed NSRA creates a significant regulatory body, though clear coordination among Directorates, dispute resolution mechanisms and enforcement agencies is essential to prevent overlap, conflicting mandates and procedural uncertainty.
The National Sports Policy 2026 and Sports Bill 2026 acknowledge existing gaps while offering a pathway towards a coherent, accountable and athlete-centered regulatory framework. The 2026 Bill will form good discussions during public participation sessions. If enacted, the reforms have the potential to strengthen regulation and bolster integrity in sport, leading the Kenyan sports industry as a structured, sustainable and nationally valuable sector.
-The writer is chairperson of the Sports Disputes Tribunal
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on WhatsApp
By Murunga BMW