How State Blew Sh607 Million In Consultancy Fees For Ghost Stadiums

The dream of world-class sports infrastructure in Kenya has turned into a nightmarish tale of squandered public funds, with Sports Kenya spending a staggering Sh156.6 million on consultancy and architectural fees for three national stadiums that exist only on paper.

Parliament’s Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture has uncovered a scandal that epitomises everything wrong with project implementation in Kenya’s public sector.

The revelations, made during a heated Wednesday session, paint a damning picture of an agency that spent taxpayers’ money with reckless abandon while lacking the most basic requirement for construction: land ownership documents.

The proposed national stadiums in Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret were meant to be flagship projects under Vision 2030, with a combined estimated cost of Sh42 billion.

Yet more than a decade after the feasibility studies were commissioned, not a single brick has been laid. What remains are hefty consultancy invoices and uncomfortable questions about accountability.

Sports Kenya paid Sh99.6 million for feasibility studies and another Sh57 million for architectural and project management services.

These payments were made despite the parastatal’s failure to secure formal land titles for any of the three proposed sites.

It is the equivalent of hiring an architect to design your dream home before you own the plot.

“How do you justify spending millions on consultancy when you don’t even have land titles for these projects?” Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, who chaired the session, demanded. His question hung in the air, exposing the absurdity of the situation.

Acting Director General Gabriel Komora and his senior management team struggled to provide satisfactory answers.

Their appearance before the committee revealed an agency hamstrung by poor planning, questionable priorities and a disturbing disconnect between expenditure and tangible results.

The ghost stadiums are not Sports Kenya’s only embarrassment.

The Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, which actually exists, has become a monument to cost inflation.

Initially contracted at Sh109.7 million, the project’s cost ballooned to Sh355.1 million, an eye-watering increase of over 200 per cent.

The agency has now requested a fresh Sh3.5 billion for rehabilitation work, raising fresh concerns about value for money.

Even Kenya’s existing premier sports facilities operate under a cloud of legal uncertainty. Sports Kenya admitted it lacks proper land ownership documents for both Kasarani National Stadium and Moi International Sports Centre.

Komora told MPs the agency is pursuing titles through the National Land Commission but faces challenges from encroachment and historical land issues. It is a stunning admission that speaks volumes about institutional incompetence.

The audit queries dating back to the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 financial years revealed other troubling practices.

Sports Kenya withheld Sh16.3 million in employee PAYE taxes and Sh96,388 in pension contributions without remitting them to the relevant authorities. This is not just poor accounting; it is illegal retention of workers’ deductions.

“Money deducted from employees’ pay is not your money to hold or divert,” MP Wambugu Michael cautioned. “Failure to remit attracts unnecessary interest and penalties.”

Management’s defence that insufficient funds made it difficult to balance net salaries and statutory deductions rings hollow. You cannot rob Peter’s pension to pay Paul’s salary.

The session turned confrontational when committee members reminded Sports Kenya’s head of finance, Fredrick Mwema, that the proceedings were judicial in nature.

Amisi warned that providing false information could trigger standing orders and even subpoenas. It was a necessary reminder that parliamentary oversight has teeth.

Among the questionable expenditures flagged was a Sh24.4 million payment linked to a Moscow football club.

While Komora insisted the matter fell under the Ministry of Sports rather than his agency, MPs rightly demanded greater accountability.

The buck-passing and finger-pointing must stop.

The committee has resolved to conduct physical inspections of disputed sites, including Kipchoge Keino Stadium, and demanded a comprehensive report on all proposed stadia from 2015 to date.

These are welcome steps, but they come painfully late.

“This Committee will not allow billions of public funds to vanish under the guise of stalled projects,” Amisi declared. It is a commendable stance, but the damage has already been done.

The Sports Kenya scandal is a microcosm of Kenya’s governance challenges. Agencies spend freely on consultants and feasibility studies while basic due diligence is ignored.

Projects are approved without critical prerequisites being met. Cost overruns are treated as inevitable rather than scandalous.

And when the music stops, taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Kenya’s athletes continue to bring glory to the nation on the world stage, often training in facilities that are barely fit for purpose.

They deserve better.

The public deserves better. The Sh156.6 million wasted on ghost stadiums could have upgraded dozens of grassroots sports facilities across the country.

As Parliament digs deeper into this mess, one thing is clear: someone must be held accountable.

Feasibility studies and architectural plans for non-existent stadiums are not just wasteful; they are a betrayal of public trust. The era of consequence-free mismanagement must end.