Athletics Kenya officials claim that the Government have failed to provide an initial payment of Sh30 million (£240,000) as part of an overall budget of Sh200 million (£1.6 million) they promised.

Isaiah Kiplagat, the chairman of Athletics Kenya, said: “There is a major problem in the Ministry of Sports.

"No one is talking straight.

"Today we meet, they make demands over certain documents like budget; tomorrow you meet another senior officer in the ministry who complains of you not having issued the document."

Kiplagat claimed that the matter needed to be brought up at Cabinet level to break the deadlock.

Africa will use the Championships to select the African team for the 2010 World Cup in Split, Croatia.

If Kenya fails to host the event, it will be second time in as many years that the Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) will be forced to seek an alternative host.

The Africa Junior Athletics Championship next month has been taken to Mauritius after Equatorial Guinea pulled out

If Kenya fails to host the event it could also seriously jeopardise their chances of staging the 2020 Commonwealth Games, which Nairobi is planning to bid for.

Kenya beat Mali 14-3 to be given the right to host the Championships.

Kalkaba Malboum, the President of the CAA, has visited Nairobi to try to help solve the problem.

He said: "I have come to Nairobi to drum the Kenyan Government and Athletics Kenya's support for the 2010 African Senior Championships.

"I hope the event will be successful."