National Assembly Passes Sports (Amendment) Bill 2026 to Intensify Fight Against Match-Fixing

The National Assembly has taken a significant step towards curbing match-fixing in Kenyan sports by passing the Sports (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Sponsored by Nominated MP Irene Nyakerario Mayaka, the Bill seeks to criminalise manipulation of sporting events and impose harsher penalties on offenders.

The legislation targets athletes, officials, administrators, and others involved in influencing the outcome of competitions through illicit means. It broadens the scope of sports manipulation to include:

• Offering, soliciting, or receiving financial or other benefits to influence competition results or conduct.
• Deliberate underperformance or failure to compete at one’s best to predetermine outcomes.
• Use of insider information for betting or manipulation.
• Threats, inducements, conspiracies, and other interference tactics aimed at altering competition outcomes.

If enacted, violators could face penalties including fines of up to Sh10 million, imprisonment, lifetime bans, forfeiture of matches, exclusion from competitions, and surrender of ill-gotten gains. The Bill also empowers Sports Kenya to investigate suspected cases in collaboration with relevant agencies, mandating investigations to conclude within six months of a report.

The Sports Disputes Tribunal will have an expanded role to handle appeals related to manipulation disputes, strengthening the legal framework for addressing such issues.

Following its passage in the National Assembly, the Bill will now proceed to the Senate for consideration, with Migori Senator Eddy Gicheru Oketch set to co-sponsor it there. The legislative effort responds to growing concerns over the integrity of Kenyan sports and aims to restore public confidence by providing clear legal measures against match-fixing.