Commonwealth Games: Kenyan Athletes Set for Record Payouts Under New Government Plan

The Kenyan government has announced a substantial increase in the financial rewards for its athletes competing in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with gold medalists now set to earn Ksh 2.5 million.

This new incentive represents a five-fold jump from the Ksh 500,000 awarded to gold medal winners at the 2022 Birmingham Games.

The revised reward structure was revealed by Principal Secretary for Sports, Elijah Mwangi, during the official flag-off ceremony for Team Kenya. The 2026 Games are scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.

“Any gold medal will receive Ksh 2.5 million, a figure that the SRC has already approved," Mwangi stated. "This is government money, and we work with government agencies that have approved this amount. For silver, the team in the last edition received Ksh 300,000, but through the efforts of His Excellency President William Ruto, this has been revised to Ksh 1.5 million.”

Under the new scheme, silver medallists will be awarded Ksh 1.5 million, while bronze medallists will take home Ksh 1 million.

Kenya will be represented by a team of 94 athletes across 12 different sports. The athletics team forms the largest part of the contingent, with 52 competitors.

The team will be led by 2015 world javelin champion Julius Yego, who secured Kenya's only Commonwealth title in the event at the 2014 Glasgow Games.

Julius Yego praised the new reward system as a significant boost for the athletes, though he noted that details regarding competition allowances are still pending.

“The reward scheme is very good. The only thing we still need to look into is the allowances, as we don’t know the exact rate, which varies for every competition," Yego said. "But I welcome the reward scheme for these Commonwealth Games; it's really good.”

African Judo bronze medalist Zeddy Cherotich will serve as the team's assistant captain. "I’m really excited because that was the first medal I got since I joined Judo," Cherotich commented. "Going forward, I am ready for the competition and targeting another medal."