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The long-running dispute over the final place in Kenya’s top-flight football has taken a decisive turn after Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United agreed to settle their promotion-relegation battle on the pitch.
The two clubs will face each other in a two-legged playoff following a mediation process initiated by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) under the leadership of president Hussein Mohammed, bringing a measure of clarity to one of the issues that has delayed the start of the 2026/27 FKF Premier League season.
According to FKF Head of Communication Jeff Kinyanjui, Mombasa United will host the first leg on October 1, before Sharks welcome the Coast side for the return match in Nairobi on October 6.
Importantly, both clubs have agreed that their newly registered players will be eligible to feature in the decisive fixtures.
“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 agreement provides a direct sporting route for resolving a dispute that has been at the centre of the prolonged uncertainty over the composition of the new Premier League season.
The playoff arrangement follows competing court directives that had placed FKF under pressure to determine how the dispute should be resolved.
The High Court in Murang’a had directed that the new season should not begin before Sharks and Mombasa United settled their promotion-relegation matter through a playoff.
In a separate case, the High Court in Kiambu directed FKF to include Mombasa United as the 18th team in the Premier League and publish provisional revised fixtures.
The two directives left the federation facing an increasingly complicated situation over the composition of the top flight, while the planned September 19 start to the 2026/27 season was delayed.
The agreement between the clubs now offers a different route, allowing the issue to be decided through football rather than continued administrative and legal uncertainty.
Mombasa United: ‘This is not a surrender’
Mombasa United subsequently explained its decision to accept the playoff, making it clear that agreeing to the two matches should not be interpreted as abandoning its position.
In an official statement, the Coast club said it remained convinced of the legitimacy of its case and the sporting journey that had brought it to the dispute.
However, the club said it had chosen to accept the playoff in what it described as the wider interest of football, its players, supporters and the people of Mombasa.
“In the wider interest of football, our players, our supporters and the people of Mombasa, we have made the difficult decision to accept the playoff.”
The club was equally emphatic that the decision did not amount to an admission that it had been wrong.
For Kariobangi Sharks, the two matches represent a chance to preserve their place in the Premier League after finishing 16th last season. For Mombasa United, the reward is potentially even greater, promotion to the top flight after finishing third in the National Super League.
The clubs will now have two matches to settle the matter, with the first leg taking place in Mombasa before the decisive return encounter in Nairobi.