The purpose of this article is to provide a concise history of gender dynamics in sports during the colonia period in Kenya. The interests of the state have structured issues of inclusion in Kenyan sports. Historically, the state has involved itself in the organisation of sports through its departments, notably the various security organs. The interplay of sports with the interests of the colonial state impacted the dynamics of gender inclusion in sports. The dynamics varied depending on prevailing social, political and economic contexts. This article delved into history to understand the interests of the colonial state in sports and how they influenced male domination in sports. It also highlights how the resultant male domination was contested. The researcher examined the colonial sports text preserved in both primary and secondary sources to understand the impact of the intersection of state interests and relations of power in structuring gender inequality in different aspects of sports in colonial Kenya. The researcher argues that the need to align education with the needs of the British Empire as well as the functionality of sports in aspects such as diplomacy, social control and stymieing political agitation were gendered processes. The intersection of these gendered processes with the ethos of sports compounded gender issues in sports colonial Kenya. Understanding the gendering of sports thus requires an investigation into how state involvement in sports structured their meaning and gender issues therein.