Kenya will co-host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 with Uganda and Tanzania, after the joint East African bid beat Botswana, Egypt, Senegal and a Nigeria-Benin bid at a CAF vote in Cairo on 27 September 2023. It is the biggest moment in the region’s football history, and the league that feeds the national team is in the middle of a governance dispute, a new ten-year sponsorship era and a season that started late.
Kenya’s top flight has existed in some form since 1963. This guide explains how it works today, who runs it, who the big clubs are, how Kenyan sides fared in Africa this season and why 2027 matters. Facts last verified on 29 October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Kenya’s top flight dates to 1963. It is officially the FKF Premier League, currently branded the SportPesa League, with 18 clubs playing 34 matches each.
- Gor Mahia won the 2025-26 title for a record 22nd time, finishing on 69 points, five clear of AFC Leopards.
- SportPesa signed a ten-year, KSh1.12 billion title sponsorship in 2025, with 60 percent of the money going to clubs.
- Clubs and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) are working towards an independent league body. A seven-member transition committee chaired by Gor Mahia’s Ambrose Rachier was set up in July 2026, and the 2026-27 season only began on 10 October after a court ruling.
- Kenya has no club in the 2026-27 CAF group stages. Gor Mahia lost 7-1 on aggregate to Pyramids and Tusker went out 2-1 on aggregate to Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars.
- AFCON 2027 runs from 19 June to 17 July 2027, with Kenya’s own preparations covered in our road to AFCON 2027 feature.
The League at a Glance
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Official name | FKF Premier League, branded the SportPesa League |
| Also known as | Kenyan Premier League (KPL) |
| Founded | 1963, as the Kenya National Football League |
| Clubs | 18 |
| Format | Double round-robin, 34 matches per club |
| 2026-27 season | Began 10 October 2026 after a delay |
| Defending champions | Gor Mahia, with a record 22 titles |
| Second tier | National Super League |
| Title sponsor | SportPesa, ten-year deal from 2025-26 worth KSh1.12 billion |
| Broadcaster | Azam Media, under a seven-year deal signed in 2023 |
| CAF places | League champions enter the Champions League and FKF Cup winners enter the Confederation Cup |
| Champion’s prize | KSh15 million from a KSh20 million prize fund |
History and Governance: Who Runs the League
Kenya’s top flight began in 1963 as the Kenya National Football League, run by the Kenya Football Federation, and Nakuru All-Stars won the first title. The competition kept that name until 1996 and has been called the Kenyan Premier League since 1998.
In 2003, clubs set up Kenyan Premier League Limited, a private company incorporated in October of that year and owned by the participating clubs, of which there were 16 at the time. Its creation is credited to businessman Bob Munro. The company ran the league until September 2020, when the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), under then-president Nick Mwendwa, declined to renew its management contract and took over. Since then the competition has been the FKF Premier League.
That arrangement is now being challenged by the clubs themselves. In May 2026, club chairmen resolved to form a Transition League Management Committee, and they had threatened to boycott the 2026-27 season rather than play in a league run solely by the federation. On 23 July, FKF and the clubs agreed a seven-member transition committee chaired by Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier (Citizen Digital). It also includes Kenya Police chairman Japheth Munyendo and Mara Sugar chairperson Ruth Omalla. The proposed model would make all 18 top-flight clubs shareholders in a new league management company, while respecting the existing deals with SportPesa and Azam Media. In the sources we found, no independent body had yet taken over.
The dispute also delayed the season. The planned 29 August kick-off was cancelled because it was unclear whether the 2025 rules or the older 2019 regulations decided promotion and relegation, and a High Court ruling in Murang’a cleared the way for the league to start. For how the competition is structured day to day, see our FKF Premier League explainer.
Sponsorship and Money
Sponsorship has been the league’s most unstable feature. In August 2012 the league signed a KSh170 million deal with East African Breweries to become the Tusker Premier League, the richest deal in Kenyan football at the time. Since then the title sponsor has changed repeatedly, and several seasons had none at all.
| Period | Sponsor | League name |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 to 2015 | East African Breweries | Tusker Premier League |
| 2015 to 2018 | SportPesa | SportPesa Premier League |
| 2018 to 2019 | None | Kenyan Premier League |
| 2020 to 2021 | BetKing | BetKing Premier League |
| 2021 to 2025 | None | FKF Premier League |
| 2025 to 2035 | SportPesa | SportPesa League |
Sources differ by a year on when SportPesa’s first deal ended.
SportPesa returned on 31 July 2025 with a ten-year, KSh1.12 billion agreement that began with the 2025-26 season (Football Kenya Federation). Of the money, 60 percent goes to the clubs as grants and 40 percent funds the running of the competition. Reports put the first-year payment at KSh85 million, rising to KSh145 million in year ten, which works out at roughly KSh2.8 million a year for each of the 18 clubs. On the broadcast side, FKF signed Azam TV in August 2023 on a seven-year deal reported at US$9.1 million.
The 2025-26 champions received KSh15 million, about US$116,000, from a KSh20 million prize fund. For comparison, CAF pays the Champions League winner US$6 million and every club knocked out in its preliminary rounds US$100,000.
Format, Relegation and CAF Places
The league is a straightforward double round-robin among 18 clubs, so every club plays 34 matches, with three points for a win. Gor Mahia took last season’s title with 69 points from 34 games. In recent years the season has run from around September to May, although the 2026-27 start was pushed back to October.
The bottom two clubs are relegated to the National Super League, and the 16th-placed club plays a two-legged play-off against a side from the second tier. At the end of 2025-26, Bidco United and Sofapaka went down directly, and Kariobangi Sharks were relegated after the play-off. Three promoted clubs, 3K FC, Migori Youth and Mombasa United, make their top-flight debuts in 2026-27.
Kenya has one place in each CAF club competition. The league champions enter the CAF Champions League, and the winners of the FKF Cup enter the Confederation Cup. This season that means Gor Mahia in the Champions League and Tusker, who beat Kenya Police 2-1 in the final in June, in the Confederation Cup. To see how those competitions work, read our guides to the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Big Clubs and the Mashemeji Derby
Gor Mahia are Kenya’s record champions. They won their first title in 1968 and their 22nd in 2025-26 under Ghanaian coach Charles Akonnor (Citizen Digital). Their best continental result remains the 1987 African Cup Winners’ Cup, the forerunner of today’s Confederation Cup, which they won on away goals against Espérance. They have never reached the Champions League group stage in its current format.
AFC Leopards have not won the league since 1998, which was their 12th title, but they finished second in 2025-26 with 64 points and pushed Gor Mahia for most of the season.
Tusker, the brewery-backed club, won the 2020-21 and 2021-22 titles and have taken the 2026 FKF Cup and Super Cup. As Kenya Breweries they reached the 1994 African Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Kenya Police won their first league title in 2024-25 and finished third in 2025-26 with 55 points.
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Gor Mahia (19th title) |
| 2020-21 | Tusker |
| 2021-22 | Tusker |
| 2022-23 | Gor Mahia (20th title) |
| 2023-24 | Gor Mahia (21st title) |
| 2024-25 | Kenya Police (first title) |
| 2025-26 | Gor Mahia (22nd title) |
The fixture that defines the league is the Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, a Swahili name that roughly means “in-laws”. Gor Mahia won the 2025-26 meeting 1-0 on 26 April, a result that proved decisive in the title race.
2025-26 in Review and the 2026-27 Start
Gor Mahia finished 2025-26 on 69 points, with AFC Leopards on 64 and Kenya Police on 55. The title was effectively settled on 24 May, with two games left, when Leopards lost 2-1 at APS Bomet. Gor Mahia then lost their final match 1-0 to Nairobi United and lifted the trophy at Nyayo National Stadium on 31 May.
The individual awards went to a mix of clubs (Mozzart Sport):
- Golden Boot: Joe Waithira of Murang’a SEAL, with 19 goals, one ahead of Ulinzi Stars’ Paul Okoth
- Golden Glove: Stephen Ochieng of Shabana, with 16 clean sheets
- Most Valuable Player: Enock Morrison of Gor Mahia
- Coach of the Season: Charles Akonnor of Gor Mahia
The 2026-27 campaign kicked off on 10 October after the legal delay (Kenya News Agency). The opening weekend produced wins for Tusker, who beat Ulinzi Stars 2-0, and Shabana, who beat Posta Rangers 1-0, while newly promoted Migori Youth drew 1-1 with Kenya Police.
Kenya in Africa This Season
Continental football has been a disappointment so far. Gor Mahia, drawn against 2025 African champions Pyramids, lost 2-0 at home and 5-1 in Cairo, going out 7-1 on aggregate in the first preliminary round. Tusker beat Sudan’s Al Ahli Wad Madani 3-2 on aggregate, then lost 1-0 at home to Singida Black Stars and drew 1-1 in Dar es Salaam, going out 2-1 on aggregate (Flashscore). Kenya will not have a club in either group stage, while neighbours Tanzania have four: Simba and Young Africans in the Champions League, and Azam and Singida Black Stars in the Confederation Cup.
Talent, Stars and the National Team
Victor Wanyama remains the clearest proof of what a Kenyan player can achieve. He started at AFC Leopards, moved to Europe with Helsingborg and Beerschot, and then starred at Celtic, Southampton and Tottenham before spending 2020 to 2025 at CF Montréal. He retired on 3 April 2026 at the age of 34 after 64 caps for Kenya, and he plans to move into coaching (theScore). He captained Kenya at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Coach Benni McCarthy recalled him from international retirement in 2025. His playing career ended abroad rather than in Kenya’s domestic league.
On the scoring side, Kenya Police striker Elvis Rupia hit 27 goals in 2022-23, which Kenyan outlets reported as a new single-season record for the top flight, although some earlier totals are disputed. He now plays for Singida Black Stars in Tanzania. Michael Olunga, now with Al-Arabi, captains the national team.
The gap between individual quality and collective results is what the national team is trying to close. Our profile of the Harambee Stars explains the team, Kenya at AFCON covers a record of six appearances and no place in the knockout rounds, and Kenya’s road to AFCON 2027 tracks the current campaign.
Why 2027 Matters for the League
AFCON 2027 runs from 19 June to 17 July 2027 across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and our complete AFCON 2027 guide covers the venues and format. A home tournament puts the domestic game under more scrutiny. The new stadiums, the SportPesa money and the push for an independent league body all land in the same window, and the 2026-27 season runs up to the tournament itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kenyan Premier League called now? Officially the FKF Premier League, currently branded the SportPesa League. Many people still call it the Kenyan Premier League or KPL.
Who won the 2025-26 title? Gor Mahia, with 69 points, for a record 22nd league title.
How many clubs and matches are there? 18 clubs, each playing 34 matches.
Who sponsors the league? SportPesa, under a ten-year, KSh1.12 billion deal that began in 2025-26.
Who runs the league? The Football Kenya Federation, for now. Clubs and the federation set up a transition committee in 2026 to plan an independent league body.
When did the 2026-27 season start? On 10 October 2026, after a delay caused by a legal dispute over promotion and relegation rules.
Are any Kenyan clubs in the African group stages this season? No. Gor Mahia went out of the Champions League to Pyramids and Tusker went out of the Confederation Cup to Singida Black Stars.
For fixtures and standings across African and European leagues, see our leagues hub.