The 2026-2027 National Super League (NSL) has been cleared to kick off on Sunday, 25 October, following a virtual meeting between club officials and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed.
Matches will run into Monday, 26 October, in line with the Round One fixtures released earlier by FKF.The league will be played under the 2019 rules, awaiting court directions while Darajani Gogo have been left out of the competition.Ahead of the opening round, FKF has promised to provide each NSL club with five balls and some financial assistance, although the amount has not been disclosed.
A physical meeting between the federation and club officials has been scheduled for 4 November.The decision marks a change of position for the clubs, who had initially insisted that the league should not start before a physical consultative meeting with the federation.
On 15 October, the clubs, through the NSL caucus, wrote to Mohammed requesting a meeting ahead of the new campaign.Four days later, the caucus issued a statement declaring that the league would not commence until the meeting had taken place physically, while asking FKF to suspend the fixtures.
The caucus also demanded clarity on whether the 2019 or 2025 rules would govern the season and sought an explanation of the promotion and relegation issues involving Darajani Gogo, Spitfire, Mfalme, Kiminini Combined and Kibra Soccer.
Wednesday’s agreement settled the rules question, with the 2019 regulations set to apply awaiting further direction from the cases in courtHowever, the road to the agreement was marked by divisions among club officials.
FKF initially invited the chairmen to a virtual meeting, but most were reluctant to attend, insisting that a face-to-face engagement was necessary.Differences subsequently emerged within the caucus, with some newly promoted sides and corporate-backed clubs reportedly forming a faction.
Kakamega Homeboyz set to hand Patrick Matasi a lifeline after match-fixing allegationsA club executive from Nyanza was also accused by fellow officials of breaking ranks.The chairmen eventually agreed to participate in the virtual meeting, determined to push their concerns.
In a further twist, caucus chairman Swaleh Yusuf, who represents Darajani Gogo, was locked out of the virtual meeting while it was in progress.The reason for his exclusion was not immediately established but it was later revealed that he is not a member of the second tier.
Darajani Gogo’s omission from the league is likely to remain a major point of contention.The club’s status was among the key issues the chairmen wanted FKF to address, and its exclusion from the fixtures has reportedly unsettled several officials.
Beyond the immediate question of Darajani Gogo, the chairmen had also sought clarity on the league’s size and sponsorship.They had expressed reservations about starting another campaign without a title sponsorThe physical meeting scheduled for 4 November will provide the next opportunity to address the outstanding concerns