Only those who win during the national athletics trials will receive direct entry to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which are scheduled to take place in Scotland from July 23 to August 2.
After the trials, which will also serve as the Kenya National Athletics Track and Field Championships, starting tomorrow at the Nyayo National Stadium, the panel of selectors will decide on the second and third placed finishers.
Paul Mutwii, Athletics Kenya's director of competition, disclosed that they intend to select a team of 49 athletes from the trials before handing it over to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK).
These 49 athletics competitors will be part of a larger squad of 93 athletes representing Kenya in 12 disciplines, including para sports.
Lilian Odira, the world 800m champion who won back-to-back national 800m titles in 2024 and 2025, will be hoping to secure a hat-trick in the event.
Kenya's Lilian Odira celebrates after winning gold in women's 800m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo September 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Odira is eager to capture the Commonwealth Games title, which is currently held by the 2023 World 800m champion, Mary Moraa.
Moraa, 26, will not be defending her title but she will instead be aiming for a medal in the 400 metres and the 4x400 metre relay at the “Club” Games.
Meanwhile, the newly crowned Africa 800m champion Kelvin Loti will be defending his national title on his way to Commonwealth Games glory.
However, he faces strong competition from the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Wycliffe Kinyamal, and the 2024 Africa 800m champion, Alex Ng’eno, who is also the current Africa Games champion.
New national champions will be crowned in the men's 100 metres and javelin throw, as Ferdinand Omanyala and Julius Yego will not be competing.
Ferdinand Omanyala charges past Brandon Hicklin in 100m men finishing line during World Continental Gold Tour Kipkeino Classic on April 24, 2026 at Nyayo National Stadium.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Yego, the 12-time national javelin champion, will compete in the Doha Diamond League on Sunday, while Omanyala has chosen to remain in Europe to train ahead of the FBK Games in Hengelo, the Netherlands, on June 21.
Kenya was represented by 66 athletes (38 men and 28 women) at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia, and by a total of 47 athletes (30 men and 17 women) at the 2022 Games in Birmingham, England.
“Not all events will have three athletes each because we want to focus on the disciplines where there is a high chance of winning medals,” Mutwii said.
Mutwii, who is also AK's senior deputy president, said that they would have liked more slots, but the organisers of the ‘Club’ Games reduced Kenya’s quota.
He was speaking after receiving a sponsorship cheque for the trials worth Sh10 million from Charles Nyangito, head of the KCB sovereign and public sector, at Riadha House.
He noted that athletes must have undergone two to three out-of-competition tests by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) between January 1 and July 22, in accordance with the Commonwealth Games testing requirements.
As the AK partner for the national trials, Nyangito said that they are deliberate about nurturing athletics talent in Kenya from grassroots to elite levels.
“Our ambition is to create a strong pipeline of world-class athletes capable of excelling in local, regional and international competitions while strengthening Kenya’s reputation as a sporting nation,” he said.
The number of athletes has been reduced to between 2,400 and 2,500 for the 2026 'Club'
Games, a reduction of almost 50 per cent from the 4,822 athletes who competed at the 2022 Birmingham Games.
This reduction is due to the number of sports being cut from 19 to 10 after Victoria, Australia withdrew from hosting the 2023 Games due to budgetary constraints.
Disciplines that have been struck out include sevens rugby, hockey and table tennis.
In addition to the 21 Athletics Kenya regions and affiliates, participants from Uganda, South Sudan, Lesotho, Zambia, and refugee teams have joined the championships.
Kenya won 21 medals at the Birmingham Games: six gold, five silver and 10 bronze, all in athletics except for one bronze won by Hellen Wawira in para powerlifting.
