The Sports (amendment) Bill, 2026

## SPECIALISSUE Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 18 (National Assembly Bills No. 5) <!-- image --> ## KENYA GAZETTE SUPPLEMENT NATIONALASSEMBLY BILLS,2026 NAIROBI,19th February,2026 ## CONTENT | Bill for Introduction into the National Assembly- | PAGE | |-----------------------------------------------------|--------| | The Sports (Amendment) Bill, 2026 | 93 | <!-- image --> <!-- image --> ## THESPORTS(AMENDMENT)BILL,2026 ## A Bill for - AN ACT of Parliament to amend the Sports Act and for connected purposes ENACTED by theParliament ofKenya,as follows - 1.This Act may be cited as Sports (Amendment) - Bill, 2026. - 2.The Sports Act,(in this Act referred to as the "principal Act") is amended in section 2 by inserting the following new definition in its proper alphabetical sequence- - "manipulation of a sports competition" means the action where a person- - （a) offers,gives, solicits or receives an undue advantage,whether financial or otherwise,with the intent to improperly influence the result, progress, conduct, or any other aspect of a sports - competition; - (b) conspires to manipulate or participates in the - manipulation ofa sporting event; - intentionally fails to perform to the best of their - ci abilities to achieve a pre-determined outcome; - (d)misuses sinsider information manipulationpurposes;or - forbettingor - in manipulation ofa sports competition". - 3.The principal Act is amended in Section 4 by- - (a) inserting the following new immediately after paragraph (p) - paragraphs - (pa) to receive any reports from any person who - suspects acts of manipulation in any sports competition; - (pb) to conduct investigations ofalleged manipulation in sports competition in collaboration with other investigative agencies. - Short title. Amendmentof section 2of Cap. 223. Amendment of section4of Cap. 223. - (b) inserting the new subsection - following immediately after subsection (l)- - (2) the investigations referred to in subsection (1) (pb) shall be conducted within six months of receiving - the report on manipulation of a sports competition. - 4.The principal Act is amended in Section 58 by - and substituting the - (a) deleting the period 6699 expression"and" in paragraph (c); - (b) inserting following new - paragraph immediately after paragraph(c) - "(d) appeals from decisions of Sports Kenya in - relation to manipulation of sports competitions." 5. The principal Act is amended by inserting the - following new section immediately after section 64 Prohibition of sports manipulation of competitions. - 64A (1) A person who participates directly or indirectly or aids, enables or assists in the manipulation ofa sports competition commits an offence and shall be liable,on conviction,to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding one million shillings or both. - (2) Where a professional sports person or a club engages in conduct described in subsection (1), the club or association to which they belong may be sanctioned with the forfeiting of the match in question or may be declared ineligible toparticipate in adifferent competition, provided the integrity of the competition is protected. - (3) Where the offender is a club ora professional sports person,they may be punished with additional disciplinary measures, additional sanctions,including a lifetime ban from participation in regulated gaming or sporting events by the relevant regulatory body. - (4)Where the offender gains any proceeds or benefit as a result of sports manipulation,it shall be subjected to forfeiture. Amendment of section58 ofCap. 223. Amendment of section64 ofCap. 223. Insertion ofnew section into Cap. 223. ## MEMORANDUM OFOBJECTSAND REASONS ## Statements of objects and reasons of the Bill The principal object of the Bill is to amend the Sports Act, Cap.223 seeks toprohibitand criminalizemanipulate of sports competitions. Clause 1 of the Bill sets out the short title of the Bill. Clause 2 of the Bill amends section 2 of the Act to the definition of sports manipulation. Clause 3 of the Bill amends section 4of the Act to provide for investigation procedure and timelines as a function of the Sports Kenya. Clause 4 of the Bill amends section 58 of the Act to include appeals from Sports Kenya dealing with the manipulation of a sports competition in the jurisdiction of the Sports Tribunal. Clause 5 of the Bill introduces a new section that prescribes the offence of manipulation of sports competitions. Statement on the delegation of legislative powers and limitation of fundamental rights and freedoms The Bill does not delegate legislative powers nor does it limit any rights and fundamental rights and freedoms. Statement on how the Bill concerns county governments The Bill does not concern county governments in term of Article 110（1)(a) of the Constitution. Statement as to whether the Bill is a money Bill within the meaning of Article 114 of the Constitution The enactment of this Bill shall not occasion additional public expenditure. Dated the 17th February,2026 <!-- image --> ## Section 2 of Cap.223 which it is proposed to amend- ## 2.Interpretation (1) In this Act,unless the context otherwise requires- "Academy"means the Kenya Academy of Sports established under section 33; "Board"means the Board of Sports Kenya constituted in accordance with section 6(1); "Board of Trustees" deleted by Act No.7 of 2019, s.2; "Cabinet Secretary"means the Cabinet Secretary for the time being responsible for mattersrelating to sports; "club members"includes officials and member athletes; "Councilmeans the Council of the Institute constituted in accordance with section 35; "Director-Generalmeans the Director-General of Sports Kenya appointed under section 8 or a person authorized to act on his behalf; "Fund" means the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund established under regulation 3 of the Public Finance Management (Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund) Regulations,2018; "lottery" means a lottery as defined in the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act (Cap. 131); "national sports organization" includes an umbrella body responsible for Olympic,non-Olympic, Paralympic or Deaflympic sports or multisport organization responsible for all sports disciplines or recreational bodies or bodyresponsible for a particular sport nationally; "professional sports" means sports for which acontract for engagement and remuneration has been entered into by a club or sports organization and theprofessional sports persons; "professional sports person"means a person who is,on the basis of a contract for engagement and remuneration,preparing or training for the purposes of participating in the relevant sports competition; "recreation"means voluntary participation in a physical or mental activity for enjoyment,improvementofgeneral health,wellbeingand the development of skills of an individual; "Registrar" means the Sports Registrar appointed under section 45; "sport" includes all forms of physical or mental activity which, through casual or organized participation,or through training activities, aims at expressing or improving physical and mental well-being,forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels,and includes any other activity as the Cabinet Secretary may,from time to time and after consultation with the technical department responsible for sports,prescribe; "sports agencies"includes the sports institutions and sports organizations; "sports institutions"means the Sports Kenya,the Kenya Academy of Sports and the Sports Disputes Tribunal established under this Act; "sporting event"means a sporting contest,competition,tournament or game open to participation and attendance by the public; "Sports Kenya"means the Sports Kenya established by section 3; "sportsperson'srepresentative" means a person who is duly authorized and registered as such according to the constitution of the respective sports organisation; "Tribunal means the Sports Disputes Tribunal established under section 55;(2) Spent. Section 4 of Cap.223which it isproposed to amend- ## Functions of Sports Kenya The functions of Sports Kenya shall be to- - （a) promote,co-ordinate and implement grassroots,national and international sports programs for Kenyans, in liaison with the relevant sports organizations and facilitate the active participation of Kenyans in regional, continental and international sports, including in sports administration; - （b) manage and maintain the sports facilities specified in the First Schedule and any other facilities which the Cabinet Secretary may,by notice in the Gazette,declare to be sports facilities for the purposes of this Act; - （c) establish,manage,develop and maintain the sports facilities, including convention centers,indoor sporting and recreational facilities for the purposes of this Act; - （d) adopt,develop, plan,set stadia standards and licence and regularly inspect stadia for sporting and recreational use; - (e) establish and maintain a sports museum; - (# - participate in the promotion of sports tourism; - （g) provide the necessary amenities or facilities for persons using the services or facilities provided by Sports Kenya; - (h) operate sports facilities on public grounds in such manner as it - deems necessary; - (i) collaborate with county governments,learning institutions and other stakeholders concerned with sports and recreation,in the search,identification and development of sporting talent, provision of sports equipment,facilities and technical training, - 1 identify and recommend talents in sports to national sports organizations; - (k) inculcate the sense of patriotism and national pride through sports and recreation, create awareness on matters of national interest through sporting events, create awareness on the benefits of regular participation in sports for healthy living and provide advisory and counseling services to athletes; - D determine the national colours to be used in national and international competitions,in consultation with the relevant national sports organizations; - （m)facilitate the preparation and participation of Kenyan teams in various international events and the hosting of similar events in the country and recommend members of steering committees for international sports competitions,in consultation with therelevant national sports organizations; - （n) recommend to the relevant authorities issuance of work permits and visas to foreign athletes and technical sports personnel,in - consultation with the relevant national sports organizations; - (o) approve, at the request of the respective national sports organizations,the clearance of foreign sports technical personnel before engagement by national sports organizations and other - sporting bodies; - (p) organize and co-ordinate training, conduct research,maintain a resource centre and provide and engage consultancy services for sports development programmes,in consultation with the respective national sports organizations; - (q) with the approval of the Cabinet Secretary,prescribe charges or fees in respect of - i access to, or use of, any of the resources or facilities of Sports Kenya; - ii) the provision of programs,services,information or advice by Sports Kenya;and - （i) the admission of persons to events and activities organized by Sports Kenya; - recommend,in liaison with the relevant sports organisations,tax exemption for sportspersons;and - （s)perform such other functions related to the implementation of this Act as may be directed by the Cabinet Secretary. Section 58 of Cap.223which it is proposed to amend ## 58.Jurisdiction of the Tribunal The Tribunal shall determine- - (a) appeals against decisions made by national sports organizations or umbrella national sports organizations,whose rules specifically allow for appeals to be made to the Tribunal in relation to that issue including- - (i - appeals against disciplinary decisions; - (i) appeals against not being selected for a Kenyan team or squad; - (b) other sports-related disputes that all parties to the dispute agree to refer to the Tribunal and that the Tribunal agrees to hear;and - (c) appeals from decisions of the Registrar under this Act. Section 64 of Cap.223 which it is proposed to amend ## 64.Offences and penalties A person who contravenes any of the provisions of this Act commits an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand shillings,or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years,or both. <!-- image -->