NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27, 2026 – In a statement, Sports Kenya — the body tasked with maintenance of stadia around the country — revealed that the officials looked at various facets of the facilities to ascertain preparedness for the global competition.
“The delegation inspected key facilities including the athletics tracks, grandstands, and planned infrastructure upgrades, while technical teams provided detailed briefings on the country’s preparedness and hosting capability,” the statement read.
Accompanying the visitors were Athletics Kenya (AK) officials led by technical director Ibrahim Hussein and national executive committee (NEC) member Kennedy Tanui.
Hussein is the chair of the bidding committee, which has thus far submitted the requisite documents.
In evaluating Kenya’s readiness, the World Athletics officials are expected to consider venue and training facilities; logistics and safety, as well as financial backing.
Kasarani has been fronted as the hosting venue with Nyayo designated as the warm-up/training area.
The country is hoping to become the first African nation to stage the prestigious competition, following a failed bid to do so in 2025.
Part of the reason Tokyo was preferred to Nairobi was the huge infrastructural developments required for Kasarani compared to the former, which had a ready, world-class venue in the form of Japan National Stadium.
With Kasarani and Nyayo currently undergoing renovations for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Kenya might just be able to convince World Athletics that the country will be ready in 2029 with a world-class venue to hold the competition.
“Kenya’s bid reflects the nation’s strong athletics heritage and ambition to bring the World Athletics Championships to African soil for the very first time,” Sports Kenya said.
Nonetheless, it won’t be an easy pick for World Athletics, with a plethora of countries also salivating for the opportunity to host the championships — some of them already boasting superior facilities than Kenya.
They include London (United Kingdom), Rome (Italy), Munich (Germany), Seoul (South Korea), New Delhi (India) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
