Efforts to grow cricket locally have received a major boost after the International Cricket Council (ICC) reinstated funding for Cricket Kenya (CK).
On Sunday, CK chairman Bhavesh Gohil confirmed to Nation Sport that funds from ICC hit the federation’s account on Friday, following sustained engagement with officials of the global body. ICC halted funding for Kenya on March 12.
Since June 2023, Kenya has operated under the ICC’s controlled funding programme due to CK’s failure to fully streamline governance.
Under the programme, the global body disburses funds to the member association on a quarterly basis, with the expenditure required to align strictly with the budget approved by ICC.
According to CK’s Chief Executive Officer, Ronald Bukusi, Kenya receives around $826,000 (equivalent of Sh107.10 million at the current exchange rate) annually from ICC.
The funds are disbursed on a quarterly basis, with 30 per cent released in each of the first two quarters, and 20 percent in each of the final two quarters.
“The resumption of this support (ICC’s funding to CK) is a major boost for Kenyan cricket,” Gohil, who was elected CK chairman on April 19, 2026, said on Sunday.
He pointed out that the reinstatement of CK’s funding reflects ICC’s growing confidence in the federation after the April 19 elections and sustained talks with the global body to resolve the remaining areas of non-compliance.
“One of ICC’s main areas of concern was the elections. Following the peaceful conclusion of the process on April 19, their confidence in us has grown, which is why they also facilitated the national team’s travel to Botswana (for the ongoing 2028 Men’s Twenty World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘A’ tournament),” the chairman stated.
He added that his administration is pulling out all stops to ensure Kenya is out of the controlled funding programme by end of 2026.
“Getting out of controlled funding is a process but we want to come out of it as soon as possible. We are targeting the end of this year if not earlier,” Gohil noted.
Bukusi clarified that the funds released by ICC are drawn from the 2026 allocation, explaining that the withheld funds were part of the 2025 allocation.
Bukusi also said CK remains in talks with the world governing body, in an effort to secure the release of the remaining funds.
“After successful elections and continued engagement with ICC, they allowed us to receive the 2026 funds as we work on resolving the issues surrounding the 2025 allocation,” Bukusi said.
On March 12, 2026, ICC said it was withholding CK’s funding for a period of six months after declaring the federation non-compliant with its membership criteria.
The global body warned that the federation risked forfeiting the withheld funds if it failed to address the areas of non-compliance during the six months period.
ICC further warned that Kenya’s membership could be suspended or terminated if CK failed to address the areas of non-compliance.
Bukusi noted that ICC’s reinstatement of funding to CK gives the federation an opportunity to grow the game locally by expanding grassroots programmes and strengthening women’s cricket, among other activities.
“It means we have a lot of work ahead of us. We want to expand our grassroots activities by growing the game in schools, training more teachers. We also want to grow our women’s cricket which is important to us,” Bukusi observed, adding that the federation continues to seek additional funding from other sources to support its activities.
To ensure the new CK board members are aligned with ICC’s regulations, Bukusi said that the governing body will conduct an induction for the members in Nairobi on June 6.
“Most the CK board members are new, so they (ICC) will be teaching us how the ICC works, generally all those issues that are critical to ICC,” Bukusi noted.
