Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the clubs involved in the 2026/27 SportPesa League have reached an agreement aimed at ending the dispute that delayed the start of the new season.
The breakthrough came after Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United agreed to settle the fight over the final place in the top flight through a two-legged promotion-relegation playoff.
The first leg will take place in Mombasa on October 1, 2026, while the return match will be played in Nairobi on October 6.
FKF confirmed the agreement after a mediation process it initiated on Thursday, September 24, bringing the two clubs together to find a solution to the legal and administrative deadlock that had prevented the league from starting.
“The Federation confirms that Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United have agreed to play a two-legged playoff following a mediation process initiated and led by the Federation on Thursday, 24 September 2026,” FKF said in a statement.
The agreement gives the federation a route out of a dispute that had left the composition of the 18-team league uncertain.
The disagreement centres on the promotion and relegation framework used to determine the teams competing in the new season.
Under the 2019 competition regulations, the bottom two Premier League teams face automatic relegation, while the team finishing 16th plays a promotion-relegation playoff against the third-placed National Super League side.
FKF’s 2025 regulations introduced a different system, providing for three automatic relegations and three automatic promotions while removing the playoff mechanism.
The application of the newer regulations resulted in Kariobangi Sharks being relegated, prompting the club to challenge the decision in court.
The dispute then produced conflicting court orders.
The Murang’a High Court directed that FKF should not begin the new league season before Sharks and Mombasa United played a promotion-relegation playoff.
At the same time, a separate case before the Kiambu High Court resulted in orders directing FKF to provisionally include Mombasa United as the 18th team and publish revised fixtures.
The competing orders left FKF unable to proceed with the scheduled September 19 start date. The federation warned that proceeding while the orders remained in force could expose clubs and the federation to further legal complications.
FKF Head of Communications Jeff Kinyanjui confirmed that both clubs had agreed to the playoff and would be allowed to use newly registered players.
“We have an agreement for the playoffs (Sharks vs Mombasa United) to proceed with newly registered players after the mediation process initiated by FKF. The first game in Mombasa on October 1, return leg in Nairobi on October 6,” Kinyanjui said.
The arrangement means the two clubs will enter the playoff with their current squads rather than being restricted to players registered during the previous campaign.
FKF welcomed the clubs’ decision to resolve the dispute through dialogue and competitive football.
“The Federation wishes both Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United the very best in the two matches and appreciates their commitment to resolving the matter through dialogue and in the interests of the game,” FKF said.
