Kenya's surprise announcement this week to bid for the right to stage the 2016 Olympic Games has received mixed reactions from sports analysts and commentators in Nairobi.

The announcement was made by the country's Sports Minister Ochilo Ayacko, in the presence of visiting International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge during the official opening of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya's headquarters in Nairobi last Wednesday.

"I want to say without batting an eyelid that when I look at our ability to get medals, we can host these Games in 2016 and we are serious about it," Ayacko said.

Sports commentators and officials have cautiously welcomed the announcement. Many of them note the East African nation has got no modern facilities to stage Olympics while others argue that 2016 is still far and Kenya has chance to improve its infrastructure.

Commentators are also asking whether Kenya really believes it has the infrastructure in terms of communications, hotels and public transportation to host the Games.

Besides infrastructure, they said there are also likely to be serious questions about security if Kenya's bid is to be formalized.

"The minister embarrassed us all by telling the world, in front of a perplexed International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, which Kenya would bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. This is not possible," commented Elias Makori, a sports editor with one of the leading dailies in Kenya.

However, Mickey Weche, Kenya's former national football coach, said Kenya can host Games of such magnitude if proper financial resources can be channeled toward sports development in the country.

"Kenya can undoubtedly hold the Olympic Games successfully. Considering the fact Kenya has produced some of the best athletes in the region, the event will boost the sportsmanship in the country and African region at large. I would suggest that 2016 Olympics be co-hosted by Kenya together with its neighbors," said Weche.

Rogge, who was in Kenya for a four-day visit to mark the 50th anniversary of Kenya joining the Olympic movement, pledges total support from the IOC to help Kenya prepare the bid.

However, the IOC president said Kenya would have to make big infrastructure improvements for its bid to be taken seriously and a successful bid would require the commitment of vast tracts of land the Kenyan government does not currently have available.

"I was very pleased to hear the minister in charge of public works say that more land will be made available for sports. Now Kenya wants to host the Olympic Games. That will require a lot of land, Mr. Minister," Rogge said.

Analysts said building new venues for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing alone will cost about 2 billion US dollars.

And considering that Beijing already has several venues ready and that Kenya will need to construct all of its venues for the 2016 Games, the costs of venue construction alone will be more than 25.6 billion US dollars.

Greece says it spent 15.23 billion US dollars on last year's Olympic Games and that does not include the cost of a new underground railway and a tram system.

The Kenyan government earns about 2.8 billion dollars in revenue each year and the country is 13 times poorer than Greece.

Even if Kenya does not win, billions of money would have to be spent just for the bid to reach a stage at which the IOC could vote on it.

Kenya has only two large stadiums, which have fallen into disrepair, as have the country's other main sports venues.

While few doubt the right of an African country to stage the Games, virtually no country outside South Africa is considered to have the infrastructure necessary and the South Africans are unlikely to be interested as they will host the 2010 soccer World Cup.

The IOC will announce the host for the 2012 Games in Singapore in July. Paris, London, New York, Moscow and Madrid are the candidates. Only four nations outside Europe and North America have ever won the right to host the Olympic Games.

The IOC will meet in July 2009 to select the host city of the 2016 Games and this gives Kenya four years to prepare a bid.