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The long-running dispute that has delayed the start of the 2026-2027 SportPesa Premier League for more than a month has finally produced a breakthrough, with Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United agreeing to settle their differences on the pitch.
The two clubs reached an agreement yesterday, following successful mediation talks initiated by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), paving the way for a promotion-relegation playoff that could determine the final composition of the top flight.
Mombasa United, who finished third in last season’s National Super League (NSL), will host the first leg on Thursday, October 1 in Mombasa, before Sharks, who finished 16th in the Premier League, host the return match on Tuesday, October 6 in Nairobi.
Both clubs have also been allowed to use newly registered players in the two-legged contest.
The agreement offers a much-needed reprieve for Kenyan football after a month of uncertainty over the delayed new season, caused by a clash between two sets of FKF regulations.
The 2019 Regulation Framework provides for automatic relegation of the bottom two Premier League clubs, with the top two NSL teams earning direct promotion. Under the same rules, the team finishing 16th in the Premier League plays a promotion-relegation playoff.
The Revised 2025 Framework changed that system by providing for three automatic relegations and three direct promotions from the NSL, while removing the playoff.
The attempt to apply the 2025 regulations during the previous season triggered legal battles, with affected clubs, including Sharks, seeking the intervention of the courts. Different directions from the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and the High Court left FKF struggling to establish the final composition of the expanded 18-team Premier League.
That dispute has now spilled into the new season.
Mombasa United believed they had earned automatic promotion after finishing third in the NSL under the 2025 regulations. Their promotion was, however, challenged by Sharks, who argued that the 2019 regulations entitled them to a playoff after finishing 16th, rather than automatic relegation.
With the legal process threatening to further delay the Premier League and NSL seasons, FKF stepped in and brought the two clubs together for mediation.
Both sides have now given up some ground.
Mombasa United have shelved their demand for automatic promotion, while Sharks have agreed to let the coastal side field players signed after last season.
That is a significant concession for Mombasa, who have recruited more than 15 new players in preparation for life in the Premier League. They now face the possibility of returning to the NSL with a squad assembled for top-flight football.
For Sharks, the agreement gives them an opportunity to fight for their Premier League survival instead of being automatically relegated. But they will face a Mombasa side strengthened by new signings who did not feature in the NSL last season.
Mombasa United said accepting the playoff was not an admission that their position was wrong, but a sacrifice to end the impasse and allow football to move forward.
“We have made the difficult decision to accept the playoff,” the club said, adding that they would walk onto the pitch with “dignity, courage and conviction.”
The playoff also revives a route to the Premier League that has produced memorable results. The last time an NSL side defeated Premier League opposition in the promotion-relegation playoff was in September 2021, when Kenya Police beat Vihiga United 2-1 on aggregate.