CHAN 2024 prize: What a billion shillings could do for ordinary Kenyans

A win for Kenyan national football team Harambee Stars in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) will pocket Sh1 billion in rewards.

This includes the tournament tag money as well as President William Ruto promised of Sh 600 million if they conquer the championship.

Kenyans love football, and the possibility of a continental victory along with the  massive financial prize stirred national unity.

But beyond the cheering and patriotism, one can’t help but ask, what could Sh1 billion actually do for the everyday Kenyan if reinvested in sectors like health, education, or social services?

It’s a staggering figure a number often tossed around in national budgets, but rarely tied to tangible results  for ordinary citizens.

To put it into context, the Sh1 billion reward, if channeled elsewhere, could be life-changing for thousands.

Going with last years’ estimates, the average cost of building and equipping a decent public primary school classroom in Kenya is estimated at Sh1.2 million.

With Sh1 billion, the country could build over 830 new classrooms, potentially decongesting overcrowded schools in counties like Kakamega, Kiambu, and Turkana.

The same money can support thousands students in different levels of education based on the capitation (funding) rates.

The Sh1 billion can finance free education for about 65,968 Junior Secondary School learners for one year where capitation per student is Sh15,150 per year and support about 44,959 Secondary School students for one year who capitation per student is Sh22,244 per year.

For Primary school students, the money can support 704,225 learners at Sh1,420 per child annually with the same money able to cover 268,817 Primary School learners in Special Needs School at rate of Sh3,720.

The same amount could also fund full university tuition for more than 5,000 bright but needy students annually, assuming an average cost of Sh200,000 per year. In a country where higher education often remains a dream, that’s five thousand futures rewritten.

In the health sector, Sh1 billion could fund the purchase of over 100 fully equipped ambulances, each costing around Sh10 million. This would drastically reduce emergency response times in rural and marginalized areas.

Alternatively, it could finance the annual salaries of 2,500 nurses, or buy 10 MRI machines, each valued at about Sh100 million, to serve regional hospitals in Kisii, Garissa, Eldoret, and Kitale or buy over 100,000 maternity kits for mothers delivering in public hospitals.

In Kenya, constructing a kilometer of rural access road costs about Sh10 million. With Sh1 billion, the government could lay 100 kilometers of gravel roads, connecting remote villages to markets, schools, and hospitals.

Communities in Marsabit, West Pokot, and parts of Lamu often remain cut off during the rainy season, leading to food shortages and delays in healthcare.

Such infrastructure could open up trade, reduce poverty, and bring long-term peace dividends to historically marginalized regions.

Ironically, a portion of the CHAN prize itself could be reinvested in developing sports infrastructure and nurturing future talent.

With Sh1 billion, Kenya could construct 5 modern stadiums at county level, complete with training facilities, locker rooms, and terraces. Each stadium could cost Sh200 million, a game-changer for grassroots football.

Moreover, youth empowerment centres offering vocational training, digital skills, and mental health services – could be built across 20 counties at a cost of Sh50 million each.

The government’s Kazi Mtaani programme paid Sh450 daily to jobless youth. A billion shillings could fund over 2.2 million workdays, reducing crime and restoring hope in slum areas.

Under the Inua Jamii programme, Kenya pays a monthly stipend of Sh2,000 to vulnerable elderly citizens over 70. The stipend is meant to support basic needs food, medicine, and dignity.

With Sh1 billion, the government could pay over 41,600 seniors for a full year, or reach 125,000 for three months restoring dignity and offering relief to families already stretched thin by the rising cost of living.

In Kenya, it costs the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) about Sh75,000 to connect a household to the national grid.

With Sh1 billion, over 13,300 homes could receive electricity bringing light, power, and opportunity to entire villages.

Access to safe, clean water remains a struggle in many Kenyan counties. According to the Ministry of Water, a typical community borehole costs between Sh2 million and Sh3 million to drill and equip.

Sh1 billion could fund over 330 boreholes across drought-prone counties like Turkana, Isiolo, Kajiado, and parts of Kitui reaching hundreds of thousands of families and livestock.