Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi says Kenya is ready to host the 2029 or 2031 World Athletics Championships, with the country hoping to become the first in Africa to stage the senior global track and field competition.
Mwangi said the Government of Kenya and Athletics Kenya had submitted a bid to host either the 2029 or 2031 edition, expressing confidence in the country's ability to organise an event of such magnitude.
“I want to assure Kenyans that we shall continue supporting His Excellency's vision of ensuring that this country becomes a hub of sports in this region. That's why the Government of Kenya, together with Athletics Kenya, have submitted a bid to host World Athletics Championships, the year 2029 or the year 2031,” Mwangi said.
World Athletics opened the bidding process for the 2029 and 2031 editions of the championships in June 2025. The World Athletics Council is expected to award the two events in September 2026. Should Kenya win the bid to host either edition, it would become the first African country to stage the senior World Athletics Championships.
Mwangi said Kenya's long-standing success in athletics made hosting the championships an important ambition for the country.
“We know that Kenya is a sporting nation. At world level athletics, Kenya has dominated athletics for years. The marathon, the short races, name them, and that's why the 2029 bid is very critical for us,” he said.
Nairobi is among the cities reported to be in the race to host the 2029 championships, alongside London, Rome and Munich.
He further added that hosting the global competition would provide Kenyan athletes, particularly young athletes, with an opportunity to compete on home soil.
“The benefit of hosting World Athletics is enormous. Our youth who have been competing locally, those who have competed internationally, they'll have an opportunity to do it on their own soil.”
Kenya has previously hosted several major World Athletics events, including the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in the capital in 2021.
Mwangi said the country's experience in hosting major international sporting events had given Kenya confidence in its ability to stage the World Athletics Championships.
“We have come of age in as far as sports is concerned. We have successfully hosted CHAN. We have been hosting Safari Rally, we have hosted golf... we know we can make it,” he said.
He added that hosting the championships would also support the continued development of sporting infrastructure in the country.
The World Athletics Championships is one of the biggest events on the global athletics calendar, bringing together elite athletes from around the world to compete for their countries.
For Kenya, a country renowned for producing some of the world's most successful athletes, winning the bid would mark a historic milestone and bring the world's leading track and field stars to Nairobi.