Two senior officials from Kenya’s Sports Ministry were arrested on Wednesday over allegations of embezzling 3.8 billion shillings ($29 million) in public funds.
The arrests followed coordinated raids on homes and offices by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which recovered large sums of cash and crucial evidence.
The suspects — a senior assistant commissioner, an accountant, and three associates — are accused of diverting funds through fraudulent procurement schemes between the 2020–2021 and 2025–2026 financial years.
According to the EACC, the officials abused their positions of trust to “embezzle public funds through collusion and procurement fraud,” betraying the confidence placed in them by the state.
Investigators said 3.58 million shillings (around $1,025) were seized in cash, alongside documents believed to link the suspects to the scheme.
The scandal deepened just a day after Parliament summoned the Sports Minister to answer allegations of widespread mismanagement in stadium construction and sports event financing.
Kenya is currently racing to complete major stadium projects ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which it will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda.
The case has reignited public anger over corruption in Kenyan sports, a sector long dogged by financial misconduct and weak oversight.
In 2016, a former sports minister faced charges of embezzling 55 million shillings ($425,000) during the Rio Olympic Games, marking one of several scandals that have tarnished the nation’s athletic pride.
As the investigation unfolds, Kenyans are once again confronting the uneasy question of whether accountability can truly triumph over entrenched corruption.