NAIROBI, KENYA – The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports has formally confirmed a staggering 58% budget cut for Kenya's team set to compete in the 25th Summer Deaflympics, forcing the exclusion of seven sporting disciplines and sparking outrage and allegations of mismanagement from affected athletes. Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya verified that only KSh 419 million was allocated for the Tokyo-bound team, a fraction of the KSh 1 billion originally proposed.

The drastic funding shortfall has compelled the ministry to slash the national contingent from a planned 12 disciplines to just five: Athletics, Women's Basketball, Men's Handball, Golf, and Swimming. The seven teams dropped are Women's Volleyball, Women's Football, Cycling, Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton, and Bowling. This decision, announced just weeks before the games begin on November 15, 2025, has left hundreds of athletes who have trained for years in limbo and ignited a firestorm of criticism over the government's commitment to disability sports.

Senators Grill CS Mvurya on Fairness and Transparency

During the tense session in Nairobi, committee members led by Vice Chairperson, Nominated Senator Crystal Asige, took the Cabinet Secretary to task over the chaotic preparations and the criteria used to axe the majority of the teams. Senator Asige, who first sought a statement on Kenya's preparedness in August 2025, questioned the ministry's lack of deliberate support for deaf athletes. "Deaf athletes in our country require far more deliberate support and budget if they are to achieve athletic excellence and represent Kenya on par with other Kenyan athletes," she stated.

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo challenged the fairness of the selection process, asking how the ministry could justify sidelining teams with consistent past performances. Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi raised serious integrity concerns, demanding assurance that individuals previously implicated in the misappropriation of over KSh 10 million were not involved in the current team's management.

In his response, CS Mvurya attributed the decision solely to financial constraints. He assured the committee that the ministry had restructured the embattled Kenya Sports Federation of the Deaf (KSFD) following past disputes and international suspensions. "We have implemented safeguards to promote transparency and to restore confidence in the administration of Deaf Sports," Mvurya said, adding that a new steering and management committee had been appointed and the KSh 419 million budget was being managed through a dedicated account for oversight.

Federations Allege Betrayal and Favouritism

Despite the CS's assurances, dropped federations have voiced a strong sense of betrayal, accusing the ministry of reneging on earlier commitments. The Kenya Badminton Federation of the Deaf has retained prominent lawyer PLO Lumumba to contest its exclusion, calling it discriminatory. In a letter dated October 20, 2025, the federation stated that the government, through the Sports Fund, had made a "formal commitment to support all the teams participating in the games."

The controversy is further fueled by widespread allegations of nepotism in the selection process. Deaflympics golf bronze medalist Isaac Makokha wrote to CS Mvurya accusing the KSFD chairman of selecting family members and friends for the team. Similarly, Ruth Akinyi, a member of the Kenya Deaf Basketball Federation, alleged in a letter to the CS that she and her two children were dropped from the women's basketball team without explanation after being officially selected.

Team Kenya CEO Duncan Kuria defended the selection, stating it was a "purely a money decision" based on criteria such as international experience and past performance. He noted the women's football team was dropped due to a poor showing at the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil, while the promising bowling team was excluded for lack of international exposure. Kuria confirmed that 177 athletes are currently in residential training at Kasarani and that players from the dropped teams would be refunded costs incurred for mandatory audiogram tests.

The committee concluded that further explanations were required from the ministry regarding the exclusion of the teams, emphasizing that all eligible athletes deserve a fair chance to compete. The fallout places a significant spotlight on the governance of sports federations and the equitable funding of disability sports in Kenya, a nation that topped the African medal table at the last Deaflympics in 2022.