The Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) and NBA Africa signed a landmark five-year development partnership in Nairobi on Thursday, a deal that federation officials described as the most consequential agreement in the history of the sport in Kenya and that commits the NBA’s continental body to investing in youth programmes, coaching infrastructure and facilities across all 47 counties.
The partnership, signed at a ceremony at the Nairobi Gymnasium attended by NBA Africa Chief Executive Victor Williams, KBF President Ambrose Kisoi, and Cabinet Secretary for Sports Salim Mvurya, will establish a Kenya National Basketball Junior Academy in Nairobi, deliver grassroots coaching clinics to an estimated 50,000 young players annually, and fund a coaching certification programme targeting 500 Kenyan coaches over five years.
What the Deal Entails
Under the terms of the agreement, NBA Africa will provide Sh180 million over five years in direct programme funding, supplemented by in-kind contributions including professional coaching staff, equipment, official NBA merchandise for academy players and access to NBA Africa’s digital content and training platforms. The KBF will contribute venue access, administrative coordination and co-investment in facility development through Sports Kenya’s county stadium upgrade programme.
The centrepiece of the partnership is the Kenya National Basketball Junior Academy, which will open in January 2027 at the Nyayo National Stadium indoor arena following its refurbishment. The academy will recruit 80 boys and girls aged 14 to 18 annually, selected through open trials held in all eight former provinces. Players will receive full-time basketball training, academic support, nutritional guidance and housing stipends.
“Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Kenya. The participation numbers at grassroots level are extraordinary but the infrastructure to convert that raw talent into professional players has been missing,” said Victor Williams at the signing. “This partnership is designed to close that gap systematically and permanently.”
KBF President Kisoi said the deal had been three years in negotiation and reflected NBA Africa’s view that Kenya — with its young, urban, English-speaking and digitally connected population — was a priority market for the sport’s growth on the continent. “The NBA does not sign five-year deals lightly. This is a signal of serious, long-term commitment,” Kisoi said.
Kenya’s Basketball Talent Base
Kenya has produced a small but growing number of professional basketball players in recent years. Centre Liz Ayuma, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, attended Thursday’s signing ceremony and addressed the assembled junior players. “When I was growing up in Eldoret, basketball was something you played on a court with broken hoops and no coaching. What you are being offered today is completely different. Use it,” she told them.
The KBF’s domestic league drew an average attendance of 1,200 spectators per match in the 2025/2026 season — a 40 per cent increase on the previous year — with several matches broadcast live on SuperSport and Azam TV. Three Kenyan players currently hold professional contracts in European leagues, and two are in NBA G League affiliates in the United States.
NBA Africa’s Basketball Without Borders camp, which has historically been held in South Africa, Nigeria or Senegal, will be hosted in Nairobi for the first time in August 2027 under the new deal, bringing up to 50 top prospects from across Africa together with NBA player ambassadors for a five-day development camp.
Connectivity and Digital Outreach
A digital dimension of the partnership will leverage Safaricom’s 5G network and M-Pesa infrastructure to deliver coaching content to teachers and youth coaches in remote counties. NBA Africa’s coaching app, already used in 18 African countries, will be adapted with Kiswahili-language modules and integrated with Kenya’s school sports system, allowing physical education teachers to access structured basketball lesson plans aligned with KSSSA competition rules.
CS Mvurya said the government viewed the NBA Africa deal as a model for how international sporting bodies could partner with Kenya to build sustainable domestic structures rather than simply extracting talent for export. “We want Kenyan athletes to succeed globally. But we also want Kenya to benefit — through jobs, through facilities, through national pride,” he said. “This deal delivers on all three counts.”
The partnership also includes a provision for NBA Africa to work with the Kenya Olympic Committee on basketball’s potential inclusion in Kenya’s LA 2028 Olympic programme planning, though KOC officials noted that direct qualification in basketball remains a long-term ambition rather than a realistic 2028 target.
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