NAIROBI, Kenya, September 16, 2026 – Barring any last-minute spanner in the works, the 2026/27 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League is set to resume this weekend (September 19-20) after a breakthrough in discussions between the federation and club chairpersons.
Speaking after a day-long meeting, FKF president Hussein Mohammed said they have closed ranks on issues that had driven a wedge between the federation and the clubs.
“We have deliberated on when to kick off the league, which as we had communicated earlier remains the 19th of this month. We have managed to close ranks between the NEC members and together with the clubs to agree on key resolutions and we are looking forward to a very vibrant league this season,” the president said.
Speaking at the same time, APS Bomet chair Bishop Fred Akama thanked all stakeholders for agreeing to meet one another in the middle by abandoning their previous hardline stances.
“I want to thank the president, I want to thank the entire secretariat of FKF, I want to thank the chairman, the CEOs who are here, I want to thank the NEC members for closing ranks, for coming together for the sake of football in this country, for the sake of the supporters, for the sake of the players, for the sake of all the stakeholders. We have come together to see that football moves forward in Kenya,” he said.
Noting the inevitability of friction from time to time, Akama pointed out that they have agreed on mechanisms to iron out any emerging issues.
“If there be anything that needs to be solved, there are channels of solving it. There are ways of getting rapprochement about it. We shall move forward as one and we shall talk as one voice and football shall benefit. We look forward to this league, we look forward to AFCON 2027,” he said.
The resolutions reached at the meeting include an agreement to allow clubs to register seven foreign players, with only five eligible to play in any given match.
“Under the agreed arrangement, clubs will be permitted to register up to seven foreign players, with a maximum of five eligible to feature in any given match. Each league match will also have two ambulances in attendance as part of the agreed match-day medical arrangements,” the federation said in a statement.
Other matters under discussion were provision of ambulances during matches.
“The clubs also signed a consent on the implementation of the foreign players’ quota, the provision of ambulances during league matches, as well as other matters that had already been complied with during the previous season,” the statement further reads.
The resolution represents a thawing of previous cold relations that had emerged between the two entities following controversy over the start of the new season.
Precipitated by a case lodged by Kariobangi Sharks, appealing their relegation from the top tier in line with the 2025/26 guidelines, the issue metamorphosed to expose crevices and cracks existing within the National Executive Committee (NEC).
It also laid bare the fractious relationship between the federation and the clubs, with some honchos unhappy with Kandanda House’s handling of the issues emerging from Sharks’ contention with their relegation — particularly re-arrangement of fixtures.
