For more than five years now, officials of clubs featuring in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) have been unanimous in their call for the competition to be run by an independent body or company.

Among the reasons why the club officials want the league to be run by an independent body is a lopsided revenue sharing model, spillover of federation politics into the league management, desire by clubs to have a greater say in key decisions affecting them, and the need to ensure a more professional administration of the competition.

In September 2023, club officials complained about the secrecy surrounding the $9.1 million (Sh1.3 billion) seven-year broadcast deal that FKF, then headed by Nick Mwendwa, signed with Tanzanian broadcaster Azam.

Gor Mahia players and officials celebrate with the Football Kenya Federation Premier League trophy at Nyayo National Stadium on May 31, 2026.

Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

At the time, FKF declined to make public details of the deal, but Nation Sport established in 2025 that teams have been receiving between Sh3 million and Sh4 million per year. This translated to a total disbursement of between Sh54 million and Sh72 million to clubs, representing 41 per cent to 51 percent of the $1 million (Sh129.4 million) broadcast rights money in the first year.

In making their case, the club officials have always pointed to the stability and growth of the league witnessed between 2003 and 2020, when it was under the management of a private limited company known as the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

Their push to have the management of the FKF-PL return to an independent body received a major boost on Thursday after the federation and club officials agreed to form a seven-member transition committee to steer the process.

Veteran football administrator and Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier was appointed the chair of the committee.

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The first step towards returning the management of the FKF-PL to an independent body came on May 28 when the clubs officials agreed to form a Transition League Management Committee to manage the competition.

FKF president Hussein Mohammed attended the meeting.

Thursday’s formation of a seven-member committee to lead the return of the management of the top-flight league to an independent body followed a warning by the club chairmen that they would boycott next season’s campaign unless a clear leadership structure for the running of the league is established.

“The FKF-PL 2026/2027 season cannot and will not proceed under a cloud of confusion and without a clear leadership framework,” warned the club chairmen in a letter addressed to acting FKF Secretary General Dennis Gicheru on July 17.

Copied in the letter were FKF President Hussein Mohammed, vice president McDonald Mariga, and all FKF National Executive Committee members.

Tusker FC players lift the 2026 Mozzart Bet Cup Trophy after being crowned winners.

Photo credit: Pool

Speaking after Thursday’s meeting with the club officials, Mohammed noted the formation of the transition committee to establish the roadmap to have the league run by a semi-autonomous body is a major step towards making the league among the best in Africa.

“To get there (make the FKF-PL among the best leagues in Africa), we need to take very deliberate steps, a very clear sought of strategic plan to achieve those objectives,” said Mohammed.

The FKF boss has come under sharp focus from football stakeholders following delays in ensuring that the top-flight league is run by an independent body, as it was one of his main campaign pledges. The committee is expected to meet sometime next week.

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APS Bomet chairman Fred Akama who is among the officials who attended the meeting on Thursday said they are pushing for the league to be run by a semi-autonomous body since it would enhance professionalism and growth.

“This (running the league) will be their co-business, it will be what they wake up in the morning to do all day. Obviously they will have more concentration without having to look after other things,” Akama told Nation Sport yesterday.

He said having the league run by a semi-autonomous body would also ensure that competent people are appointed to key positions, while giving clubs a voice in how the competition is run, including generation, use and distribution of revenue.

Kenya Police Bullets players celebrate with the 2025/2026 Kenya Women Premier League trophy on at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on May 17, 2026.

Photo credit: Pool

“The league will be run professionally in that competent people will fill the management positions. The clubs themselves will be involved in the running of the league because they will have representation in that body”.

“They will have a voice on how it is being run, how the revenues are being managed, how that revenue trickles down to the club themselves.”

Akama noted that having the league run by an independent body is the standard practice in many other countries and has proven to be a profitable model.

Among the tasks of the Rachier-led committee will be to review the contracts FKF has signed with various entities relating to the league and determine how they can be addressed without exposing the federation to litigation.

“They have to sit down and look into all the legal land mines so that we can come up with documents that can help us,” said Mathare United Chief Executive Officer Jecton Obure. FKF signed contracts with Azam, the league’s broadcast partners and SportPesa, the league’s title rights sponsors.

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