Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is considering reverting to a 16-team Kenyan
Premier League in the 2026/2027 season.
The proposal, spearheaded by FKF president Hussein Mohammed, would see four
teams relegated at the end of next season to pave the way for two National
Super League (NSL) sides set to be promoted.
The 2024/2025 season will see two sides drop to the NSL, while one side will
face the third-placed NSL side in the play-offs. However, in subsequent
seasons, the Kenyan Premier League shall comprise 16 teams.
At the end of the season, three teams will automatically drop to the NSL as usual.
If the federation’s proposal is embraced, the KPL will revert to the
16-team format, which was dropped by former FKF president Nick Mwendwa, who
preferred an 18-team league in February 2016.
The idea was met with resistance, with former FKF president Sam Nyamweya
confronting the reorganisation structures, leading to FIFA’s intervention by
sending observers to calm the situation.
Kenya Premier League, the company that ran and organised the league, was up
in arms against the idea, citing increased budget requirements for the two
additional sides.
However, after a meeting at the Sports Disputes Tribunal offices, the two
parties—FKF and KPL—finally reached an agreement over the expansion tussle,
having agreed to present the full financial details.
Meanwhile, South African pay-television giants SuperSport, who were the
KPL's official broadcast partners, were against the idea and later withdrew in
2017.
FKF has further proposed a split of the NSL into two zones of 12 teams each
for next season. Subsequently, the second tier would consist of 28 teams, 14 in
each zone, with three to be promoted to the Premier League at the end of each
season.
The third tier will now comprise 64 clubs split into four zones, Eastern,
Western, Southern and Northern Conferences, and renamed the Conference League.
The top teams in each zone will earn promotion to the NSL, whereas the
second-place finishers will face off to determine the additional two.
The fourth tier will consist of four zones, comprising 48 teams, and will be
referred to as the Regional League.
