Last week, we hosted the Sports Business Breakfast, an engaging forum that brought together sports leaders, business professionals, and industry experts to explore how sports can drive innovation, leadership, and sustainable growth in Kenya and beyond.
In her opening remarks, Kellen Kariuki, SBS Associate Dean, reaffirmed the School’s commitment to developing ethical, globally competitive African leaders. “Sportspeople are dynamic, and at SBS, we strive to be a world-class institution that develops African leaders. We believe in the power of partnerships and collaboration to drive innovation and sustainable growth,” she noted.
She also unveiled the upcoming Sports Science and Business Executive Programme, which will be launched in February 2026 in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh. The programme aims to unite businesses, academia, and sports to strengthen Africa’s sports ecosystem.
Dr. Miriam Omolo, Associate Director at the Strathmore Institute of Public Policy and Governance (SIPPG), highlighted sport’s potential to solve social challenges, attract investment, and promote entrepreneurship, sharing firsthand experiences that reflected the structural gaps facing Kenya’s sports sector.
The event also featured panel sessions with the first panel exploring the topic: “The Use of Technology and Social Media in Improving Performance.” The speakers emphasized that sports today are deeply intertwined with data, storytelling, and community engagement. Digital platforms enable athletes to share authentic stories, connect with fans, and foster accountability within sporting communities. The discussions further underscored the growing role of data analytics in enhancing athletic performance and artificial intelligence in making technology more accessible, with a call to train and empower sports science coaches.
The second panel focused on investing in the future of sport: themed “How the Business Sector Can Invest in Sports,” the speakers called for a mindset shift from viewing sports merely as leisure to recognizing them as a powerful economic driver. The speakers delved into how improved governance, branding, and open investment frameworks could attract private-sector support. The conversation also addressed questions of ownership and governance. “Who owns our sports politics?”, highlighting the importance of transparency and inclusivity. Speakers further urged collaboration between the public and private sectors to create a sustainable sports ecosystem that fuels media, tourism, manufacturing, and innovation opportunities.
The Sports Business Breakfast marked an important milestone in advancing Kenya’s more professional, science-driven, and financially sustainable sports sector. Initiatives like the Sports Science and Business Executive Programme, Strathmore Business School, and the University of Edinburgh, are paving the way for next-generation sports leadership, one that harnesses technology, data, and business to shape the future of sport in Africa.
Article by Miriam Wafula
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