FKF postpones Kenyan Premier League kick-off after fresh court order
By Joel Masibo, September 19, 2026The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has postponed the start of the 2026/27 SportPesa League, hours before the competition was due to begin on Saturday, September 19,2026, following a fresh High Court order in Murang’a.
The federation had only days earlier confirmed that the new campaign would finally get underway on Saturday, September 19, 2026, after weeks of uncertainty arising from disputes over promotion and relegation rules.
In a statement to participating clubs and partners, FKF announced that the scheduled opening round had been called off, although it did not give a new date.
“We regret to inform all participating clubs and partners that the league kick-off has been postponed until further notice.
We will provide a comprehensive statement with regard to the details surrounding the postponement.
Kindly accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused.” The statement said.
Following the latest development, FKF Premier League clubs were quick to notify their supporters to make adjustments. In a club notice to its fans, Ulinzi Stars said:
“Dear Fans,
We regret to inform you that our upcoming match against Tusker FC, scheduled for today, Saturday 19th September at 2:00 PM at the Ulinzi Complex, has been postponed.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to all our dedicated supporters who were planning to cheer us on. Details regarding the rescheduled date and ticket information will be communicated in due course.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.” The statement said on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
The latest postponement follows an order by Justice Dorah Chepkwony of the High Court in Murang’a directing that the 2026/27 season cannot commence before a promotion and relegation playoff involving Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United.
The order arose from an application filed by Evans Nduta on Friday, September 18, 2026, challenging the commencement of the league as well as FKF’s use of its 2025 Rules and Regulations Governing Football. The matter is scheduled for hearing on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
The dispute has its roots in FKF’s decision to change the promotion and relegation framework. The 2025 regulations provide for three clubs to be automatically relegated from the Premier League and three teams to be promoted from the National Super League, effectively eliminating the promotion/relegation playoff.
The older 2019 regulations, however, provided for a playoff involving the team finishing 16th in the top flight and the third-placed side from the NSL. That difference became central to Kariobangi Sharks’ fight against relegation after the club finished 16th last season, while Mombasa United ended the NSL campaign in third.
The Sports Disputes Tribunal had earlier upheld the application of the 2025 regulations in a case brought by Sharks, but the broader legal dispute remained before the High Court.
There was already confusion surrounding the league’s composition after another High Court matter in Kiambu directed FKF to publish provisional revised fixtures including Mombasa United as the 18th team, subject to other federation requirements.
That ruling came just a day after FKF and Premier League clubs had agreed on Saturday, September 19, 2026, as the start date following a meeting that addressed several outstanding issues, including the foreign-player quota and matchday medical arrangements.
The latest court intervention therefore leaves FKF facing the same promotion and relegation question that has repeatedly disrupted preparations for the new campaign.
The federation had initially targeted an August 31 start, but the season was delayed after a series of court cases and disagreements over which regulations should govern the competition. A previous ruling by Justice Chepkwony had allowed FKF to proceed with the league under the 2019 rules while the wider dispute remained unresolved.
The situation had appeared to move towards resolution earlier this month when FKF announced September 19 as the new kick-off date. The federation subsequently released fixtures, with champions Gor Mahia scheduled to host Murang’a Seal while AFC Leopards were due to face Bandari, among other matches.
However, the latest Murang’a order has once again brought the competition to a standstill.
The development also puts renewed focus on comments attributed to FKF President Hussein Mohammed during a Kamukunji with branch chairmen earlier in the week, when he indicated that he would not honour court orders stopping football activities going forward. Reports of those remarks emerged as the federation was insisting that the league would proceed despite the pending legal challenges.
With the season now officially postponed, clubs, players and supporters are again left waiting for FKF to determine when and under what framework the 2026/27 SportPesa League can finally begin.