Africa-Press – Kenya. The Sports Bill 2026 has proposed the formation of the National Sports Regulatory Authority (NSRA) in a decisive move aimed at strengthening compliance, governance and order across sports organisations in the country.
The Bill was presented by a taskforce appointed in November 2024 by the then Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, and mandated to review Kenya’s sports policy, legal and institutional framework.
Under the proposed law, the NSRA will be mandated to register sports organisations, licence sports education institutions and sports academies, licence sports professional bodies and sports support personnel, as well as approve and licence sports talent development programmes.
The Authority will also play a broader regulatory and developmental role within the sector.
Its responsibilities will include accrediting sports education and training institutions, gathering, integrating, publishing and disseminating sports market information to support the growth and structured development of the industry.
In addition, the NSRA will be tasked with promoting, ensuring and maintaining quality assurance standards.
A key pillar of its mandate will be to promote integrity, inclusivity, non-discrimination and transparency at all levels, reinforcing good governance principles within professional and grassroots structures.
The Authority will further advise and make recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary on matters relating to the sports industry, including education and training, policy direction and sector-wide development.
According to the Bill, the NSRA shall be headed by a Chairperson appointed by the President and will have its headquarters in Nairobi, positioning it at the centre of national sports administration and oversight.
Under the NSRA, the Bill further proposes the creation of a Sports Integrity Unit to receive, investigate and address integrity breaches.
Sports CS Salim Mvurya said the timing of the Bill could not be better, describing it as long overdue.
“This Draft Bill and the entire framework to reform sports are timely,” Mvurya said.
“For a long time, sports have not received a lot of attention. We have a big profile as a country, but we have not invested enough in critical reforms.”
He stressed that the Bill provides a clear and actionable roadmap for transforming Kenya’s sporting ecosystem.
“This Draft Bill gives us a roadmap and guidelines to make a big transformation. With the policies I have received today, I am confident we are on the right track,” Mvurya said.
The Sports Bill 2026 draft is available for download on the Ministry of Sports website, with Mvurya urging Kenyans to actively participate in the public consultation process.
“I want to urge Kenyans to access this draft document on our website. We are not closed to input and consultation,” he said.
“We want everybody to get an opportunity to make the change we want to see in sports in this country.”
