Government moves to ringfence Sports Fund as CS Mvurya calls for legal reforms

The government has initiated steps to safeguard the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund from overstretching, with Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Salim Mvurya, calling for legal reforms to ensure the fund is used strictly for sports-related matters.

Speaking in Diani, Kwale County during a joint session with the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture, CS Mvurya told lawmakers on the operations of the fund and the growing need to streamline its usage. He noted that the fund is currently under immense pressure to finance a wide range of activities, many of which fall outside the sports mandate.

“Sports fund is currently under pressure to finance many other activities across the country and that’s why we are looking at different sources so that we can improve the resourcing of this fund. I think many inputs that we have received here from the chairman and members of parliament was basically to stick to the law,” said Mvurya.

The CS emphasized the need to review existing regulations and potentially introduce new legislation that clearly defines what the fund should cover. He revealed that some expenditures, such as drama festivals under the Ministry of Education and certain health-related programs, continue to draw from the sports fund—further straining its already limited resources.

“We are reviewing the framework so that the fund can focus solely on sports-related matters,” he added, noting that consultations are ongoing with the Attorney General and the National Treasury to develop a robust legal structure that ring-fences the fund.

The ministry is also working on long-term strategies for resource mobilization to ensure sustainability, clarity, and transparency in the fund’s operations. These reforms aim to protect the integrity of sports funding in Kenya.