AFC Leopards claw Nairobi United at Nyayo to revive title hopes
By Joel Masibo, March 18, 2026AFC Leopards have completed a Football Kenya Federation Premier League double over debutants Nairobi United, registering an important 1-0 second-leg victory at the Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to revive their fading title hopes.
Samuel Ssenyonjo scored the only important goal of the meeting after making no mistake from Tyson Otieno’s neat pass in the 13th minute of the match.
The victory comes as a sigh of relief to Ingwe’s head coach, Fred Ambani, after the club’s faithful confronted him and the entire technical bench following the team’s 4-1 trashing at the hands of Mathare United before the Naibois encounter.
Omondi cautions Ingwe
Speaking before facing the wounded Leopards, Nairobi United assistant coach Boniface Omondi had warned Ingwe to expect meeting a different Naibois side.
Omondi said they would be taking the battle to the title-chasing rivals, stressing that it would be a whole different encounter from the first-leg meeting that ended with Ingwe running out 2-0 victors in January 2026.
“During the first leg against the Leopards, we were fatigued. We came from an away clash against Shabana before facing them two days later this time round. The time we are well prepared for facing them,” he stated.
Naibois looked to extend its fine run after seemingly seeing the clouds lift off its season. After putting aside a dismal CAF CC run, Godfrey Oduor’s side had stability in their league assignment with an unbeaten run in their last four games, a spell that has seen forward Benson Omala unleash his best form yet.
Injury setbacks
AFC Leopards remained steadfast despite missing the services of Ellias Mugane and Maxwell Otieno, who remain sidelined as they continue their recovery following surgical procedures.
Mugane underwent an operation to repair his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), while Otieno is recuperating from surgery on his meniscus. Both players are expected to be out for an extended period as they undergo rehabilitation.
In addition, key defender Kaycie Odhiambo is ruled out for approximately two weeks after sustaining a foot injury, further limiting the squad options available to the technical bench.
The win sees Ingwe maintain their position in the league standings with 46 points, seven behind leaders Gor Mahia, who will face Shabana FC on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Nyayo Stadium.