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How the Nairobi Marathon raised a record KES 273 million

The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon sells its event in many small pieces, and 56 sponsors bought in for 2026.

The Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon has raised a record KES 273 million in sponsorship for its 23rd edition, held on 25 October 2026. More than 30,000 runners are expected, including over 400 elite athletes from 102 nationalities.

One title sponsor, many partners

Standard Chartered, whose name the race carries, contributes KES 130 million. The other KES 143 million comes from partners, in cash and in kind. The number of sponsors rose from 43 in 2025 to 56 in 2026, and the total is 17% higher than in 2025 (KES 233 million) and 58% higher than in 2024 (KES 173 million).

An event sold in pieces

Instead of one large package, the organisers sell clearly defined rights: Tetra Pak is the hydration sponsor (KES 13 million), Kenya Wine Agencies holds the half marathon (KES 10 million), Healthy U supplies energy gels (KES 9.8 million), ORS covers electrolytes (KES 8.6 million), Little sponsors accreditation (KES 7.8 million) and Rohto the relief stations (KES 5.8 million). Nike joined as official apparel sponsor and Spiro as entertainment sponsor, both for the first time.

What it means

For brands, a mass-participation race offers entry points of a few million shillings, each tied to a visible role on race day. For African event organisers, it shows how splitting an event into well-defined assets can attract more sponsors than a single all-in deal.

Source: East Africa Journal, 22 September 2026. Figures as reported by the source.