NAIROBI, Kenya, September 21, 2026 – Women’s football in Kenya could soon be competing for eyeballs with their male peers if a plan by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) comes to fruition.
Acting CEO Dennis Gicheru says plans are afloat to package the Women’s Premier League (WPL) into an attractive product for prospective sponsors.
The initiative will be backed by an initial $100,000 allocation from world football governing body FIFA, earmarked specifically for capacity building, grassroots development, and operational activities.
“The women’s strategy is about unlocking the potential of women’s football, and that is what we intend to do,” the FKF President stated. “At FIFA level, the strategy will unlock resources for capacity building and activities within women’s football. That funding will go towards capacity building and activities under the strategy, which has already been approved by NEC and is now awaiting its launch and implementation,” Gicheru said.
While pledging federation support across all competitive tiers, leadership issued a firm call to action for club administrators: reliance on federation handouts must give way to aggressive, independent commercial marketing.
Pointing to the National Super League (NSL) model as proof of concept, the president recalled how the federation assisted community-based clubs during the 2025/26 season to raise vital operating capital.
“We are asking clubs to work harder to market and promote themselves so that they can attract individual sponsorships. We did this successfully with the National Super League, where we showcased some of the community-based clubs and helped them raise resources… During the 2025/26 season, I believe we managed to raise significant amounts of money for about 10 clubs. I would therefore encourage the women’s leagues to do the same,” he said.
The revelation comes amidst a storm in the FKF Premier League whose restart has been crippled by court cases contending the relegation/promotion guidelines that should have been used for last season.
However, no such legal hurdles exist for the women’s game, which kicked off smoothly across the country in the past weekend.
Federation leadership clarified that the WPL’s regulatory framework stands on rock-solid legal backing thanks to a definitive Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) ruling.
“On the Women’s Premier League, the situation is different. The only decision we currently have regarding the validity of the rules is the Sports Disputes Tribunal decision that validated the 2025 rules. That is the only valid decision we have from a court of competent jurisdiction. There is no issue concerning promotion and relegation in the Women’s Premier League,” Gicheru said.
With clear communication issued to clubs prior to kickoff, the women’s game successfully sidestepped the administrative trap doors currently suffocating the men’s top tier.
