SportPesa officially welcomed the start of the new SportPesa League season, celebrating the return of top-flight domestic football.
The season follows SportPesa’s landmark 10-year title sponsorship agreement with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), which is designed to establish long-term financial stability across the domestic game. Under the arrangement, 60% of the title sponsorship funds are distributed directly to top-flight clubs, enabling them to invest in their playing squads, technical benches, and day-to-day operations.
Building on its inaugural year, the partnership continues to support key operational initiatives, including monthly player and coach awards, enhanced broadcast and matchday fan experiences, integrated data analytics, and the dedicated digital portal, www.sportpesaleague.ke.
Top-performing teams compete for a KES 20 million prize pool, shared among the top three finishers. SportPesa also has direct club partnerships with 2025/26 champions Gor Mahia, Murang’a SEAL, and Shabana FC. Commenting on the season’s kickoff, SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri said the league’s return provides clubs, players, and supporters with much-needed certainty and a platform to showcase emerging talent:
“The return of the SportPesa League gives clubs, players, and supporters the opportunity to focus once again on what matters most: exciting and competitive football. Through our 10-year partnership with FKF, we are helping bring greater stability to the domestic game and supporting the structures that enable clubs and players to thrive.”
However, the season’s launch followed a complex regulatory dispute over whether the league’s composition and promotion-and-relegation criteria should be governed by the 2019 FKF Regulations or the newly introduced 2025 Regulations. Under the 2025 framework, three clubs, including 16th-placed Kariobangi Sharks, faced automatic relegation. Kariobangi Sharks challenged their demotion before the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and later moved to the High Court, arguing that the 2025 rules had been adopted mid-season without proper procedure or General Assembly ratification.
Sharks maintained that, under the 2019 rules, only the bottom two teams faced automatic relegation, while the 16th-placed club was entitled to a promotion-relegation play-off against National Super League (NSL) third-placed Mombasa United.
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Attempts by football administrators to resolve the dispute led to conflicting court directives. On August 28, 2026, Murang’a High Court Judge Dorah Chepkwony issued directions allowing FKF to proceed temporarily under the 2019 rules while the challenge to the 2025 regulations was heard. Subsequent rulings, however, created a legal impasse:
The Milimani High Court in Nairobi, presided over by Justice Janet Mulwa, ordered the parties to maintain the status quo as of August 10, the date of the SDT decision, putting the planned league kickoff on hold. In the Evans Nduta case, the Murang’a High Court issued an injunction prohibiting FKF from running fixtures or validating match results until the required promotion-relegation play-off between Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United was completed. Meanwhile, the Kiambu High Court directed the provisional inclusion of Mombasa United as the 18th team in revised fixture lists.
FKF postponed the scheduled opening fixtures, fearing that the courts could nullify the match results. The prolonged uncertainty has significant consequences for clubs, players, and national team prospects. It affects club finances, player contract timelines, coaching programmes, and stadium logistics.
It also limits a vital scouting window for Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy as Kenya prepares to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Uganda and Tanzania, from June 19 to July 17, 2027. With all three host nations automatically qualified, an active domestic league is essential for building match fitness, identifying local talent, and preparing competitive squads for the tournament.
SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri said: “After the delayed start, getting the season underway is particularly important. Every matchday creates opportunities for emerging talent to gain experience, showcase their abilities, and take the next step in their careers.
“The league’s return is about more than the fixtures themselves. It gives clubs greater certainty, strengthens the player pathway, and creates the conditions for long-term growth. Our focus remains unchanged: supporting Kenyan football and helping it reach its full potential.”
