UPDATE - October 18, 2026: After long delay on kickoff of the season, the Court's decision was upheld and both teams on October 1 and 6 played their promotion-relegation playoffs in accordance with legally authorized 2019 FKF rules.
During the second leg match, Kariobangi Sharks were playing at home ground, Ulinzi Sports Complex where in the 64th minute they turned aggressive after the referee awarded Mombasa United a penalty. The hostility of the players to the referee led to conflict on the pitch resulting in abandonment of the match. Later on after authority's investigation on the match on October 9, the FKF committee penalized Kariobangi Sharks by awarding Mombasa United victory by a 2-0 scoreline.
The federation announced that the KPL season officially kicked off on October 9, 2026
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) on Saturday, September 19 announced the postponement of Kenya Premier League, officially known as the SportPesa League until notified otherwise as the Murang'a High Court stopped the season kick off following the ongoing court battles on promotion and relegation rules, as reported by NTV Kenya.
The Murang'a High Court Justice, Dorah Chepkwony ordered that for the KPL 2026-2027 season to kick-off, Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United should have a play-off. Chepkwony said that Kenya Football / FKF rules 2019 should be adhered to. The Court rulings restricted the League from using unratified 2025 regulatory framework.
The League was to commence on September 19th as announced by FKF via X post notice statement on September 16, 2026 where the federation noted that all qualified KPL clubs had agreed on commencement of the new season. Murang'a High Court had initially granted permission for 2025-2026 KPL kick off as the court continues to deliberate on the case.
Contradiction Between FKF 2019 and 2025 Rules
The Court ruling comes shortly after Kariobangi Sharks challenged the 2025 FKF rules by proceeding to the court where they are demanding a play-off instead of being directly relegated. In addition Evans Nduta petitioned against the kick off of the season as he disputed the 2025 FKF rules and regulations.
The contradiction between the two sets of rules occurred after FKF independently imposed new rules in mid last season without complying with compulsory legal and formal obligations. The 2019 FKF rules provided for playoffs between the 16th-positioned team in the KPL and the 3rd-placed team in the National Super League table, while the 2025 set of rules proposes direct promotion and relegation.
On National Super League (NSL) table standing last season, Migori Youth won the league with 81 points, 3K FC was second with 77 points and Mombasa United finished third with 76 points. Both Migori Youth and 3K FC have already been promoted. On the other hand, Bidco United and Sofapaka finished 17th and 18th respectively, thus getting relegated, while Kariobangi Sharks finished 16th in KPL with 38 points.
KPL's Scheduled Fixtures Called Off
Following the late FKF postponement, it has been reported that some clubs had already travelled for their away fixtures in line with the KPL fixtures for this weekend. Some clubs announced that they had to call off travel on social media. Murang'a Seal FC, who was scheduled to play Gor Mahia, was among the clubs that shared a post on X following their match postponement.
Tusker FC Captain Aboud Omar Condemns Continued KPL Halt in his Instagram official account. The Tusker FC defender has expressed disappointment caused by poor management in Kenyan football saying that it's negatively impacting the League and clubs. "It is so frustrating. We have continental competitions and National teams games coming up. How are we supposed to compete at the highest level when we don't have enough competitive matches to maintain our fitness?" Omar stated.
Omar stated despite how in the last 10 years Kenyan football has been active and getting into top 20 Africa League ranking, it has now downgraded and it's never as before. "Other countries are moving forward and doing everything they can to improve their leagues, while we seem to be going backwards," he added.
Photo: Postponed KPL match fixture for September 19, 2026. (Graphic: InstandTrend. Source: FKF on X)
Mombasa United KPL DEBUT
The Sultans defeated Kariobangi Sharks in the playoffs and advanced to the Kenya Premier League for the first time in history. The team made their first SportPesa League debut on October 14, 2026, at their home stadium, Mbaraki Sports Complex, against Kakamega Homeboyz where they lost 0-1.
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Written by: John Muia (Founder and Editor)
John Muia is the founder and Editor in InstandTrend. The Journalist is experienced with skills in creative writing, news coverage and fact-checking in digital and print media.