Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United will contest a two-legged playoff for a Premier League place.
Mombasa United will host the first leg on October 1, with Kariobangi Sharks staging the return in Nairobi on October 6 after FKF mediation.
Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United have agreed to contest a two-legged promotion-relegation playoff, opening a path to resolve the dispute over the final place in the 2026/27 FKF Premier League.
The agreement follows mediation initiated by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) under president Hussein Mohammed. The dispute has contributed to uncertainty over the league’s membership and delayed the season’s planned September 19 opening.
FKF Head of Communication Jeff Kinyanjui confirmed that the first match will be played in Mombasa on October 1, before the teams meet again in Nairobi on October 6. Both clubs have also accepted that newly registered players can take part.
Two matches to determine top-flight status
Mombasa United will have home advantage in the opening leg, while Sharks will host the return fixture. The arrangement gives both teams a route to settle their competing claims through a sporting contest after a prolonged administrative and legal dispute.
For Sharks, the playoff offers an opportunity to retain their Premier League place after ending last season in 16th position. Mombasa United are seeking promotion after finishing third in the National Super League.
The agreement on player eligibility is a key part of the settlement. Rather than excluding recent additions, the clubs will be able to field their newly registered players in the two decisive matches, Kinyanjui said.
Court directives complicated league preparations
The playoff decision comes after separate High Court directives presented FKF with different instructions on how to address the dispute.
In Murang’a, the High Court directed that the new Premier League season should not start until Sharks and Mombasa United had resolved their promotion-relegation contest through a playoff.
In a separate case in Kiambu, the High Court instructed the federation to include Mombasa United as the Premier League’s 18th team and publish provisional revised fixtures.
Those directives complicated preparations for the new campaign, leaving the composition of the top division unsettled as the scheduled opening date was delayed. The clubs’ acceptance of the playoff now establishes a match programme for deciding the contested place.
Mombasa United defends decision to play
Mombasa United said in an official statement that accepting the playoff did not mean it had abandoned its position in the dispute or conceded that its case was wrong.
The Coast club maintained its belief in the legitimacy of its claim and the sporting progress that had brought it to this point. It nevertheless described accepting the matches as a difficult decision taken in the interests of football, its players, supporters and the people of Mombasa.
That position allows Mombasa United to pursue promotion on the pitch while maintaining its stated stance on the dispute. Sharks, meanwhile, will seek to protect their top-flight status across the same two fixtures.
Attention now turns to the October 1 opener in Mombasa and the October 6 return in Nairobi, with a Premier League place at stake for both clubs.
