Athletics Kenya (AK) will host its flagship National Championships from June 18 to 20 at Nyayo National Stadium, with the event doubling up as the official trials for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The three-day competition is expected to attract the country’s top track and field athletes as they battle for national honours and places in Team Kenya for the Games scheduled for July 23 to August 2 in Scotland.

Athletes will collect their bibs and competition kits on June 17 at Nyayo Stadium ahead of the championships, which remain one of the most important events on the local athletics calendar.

The championships will feature competitors from all 12 Athletics Kenya regions: Nairobi, Central, Central Rift, North Rift, South Rift, Southern, Eastern, Western, Nyanza South, Nyanza North, North Eastern and Coast.

Athletes representing affiliate institutions including the Kenya Police Service, Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Prisons Service, National Youth Service (NYS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), universities and the Kenya Association of Technical Training Institutes (KATTI) will also compete.

Kenyan athletes based abroad under the AK Diaspora programme are also expected to participate, alongside invited athletes from Uganda, South Sudan, Lesotho, Zambia and other countries, giving the championships an international touch.

The competition programme will include track and field events, race walking and relays, with athletes progressing through heats, semi-finals and finals before team selection is conducted.

Beyond the medals on offer, the championships will serve as the final opportunity for athletes to impress selectors ahead of the Glasgow Games.

According to Athletics Kenya, athletes must first be accredited for the Games by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) and must have undergone between two and three out-of-competition anti-doping tests conducted by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) or the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) between January 1 and July 22, 2026.

The winner of each event will earn automatic selection, provided they meet all eligibility requirements. Selection of additional athletes will be determined by the selection panel.

Athletics Kenya plans to select a team of 49 athletes based on the quota allocated by NOCK, with emphasis placed on events where Kenya has the strongest medal prospects.

Following the trials, the selected athletics team will be officially handed over to NOCK ahead of Kenya’s campaign at the XXIII Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.