FKF PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYOFF AGREED AS SHARKS, MOMBASA UNITED END STANDOFF.

The breakthrough followed mediation talks convened by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF). The first leg will be played in Mombasa on October 1, with the return fixture in Nairobi on October 6. Both clubs will be allowed to field newly registered players. The winner will secure the final place in the top flight, while the loser will compete in the National Super League.

Mombasa United formalised its acceptance in an official statement released on Thursday. The coastal club said it remains fully convinced of the legitimacy of its position and the sporting journey that brought it to this point. However, in the wider interest of football, its players, supporters and the people of Mombasa, it had made the difficult decision to accept the playoff.

“This decision is not a surrender, nor is it an admission that our position was wrong. It is a sacrifice made to end an impasse that has kept football away from where it truly belongs,” the statement read. Invoking the biblical story of Solomon, the club added that “there are moments when love for something demands sacrifice for its survival.” It pledged that its players would “walk onto that pitch with dignity, courage and conviction.”



Sharks finished 16th in the 2025/26 FKF Premier League. Mombasa United placed third in the National Super League. The dispute centred on conflicting regulations. Under the 2019 rules, the 16th-placed Premier League side faced the third-placed National Super League team in a playoff. The 2025 framework, adopted by the FKF National Executive Committee, abolished the playoff and introduced automatic relegation of the bottom three Premier League clubs and automatic promotion of the top three National Super League sides.

Application of the 2025 rules resulted in the relegation of Sharks, Bidco United and Sofapaka, and the promotion of Migori Youth, 3K FC and Mombasa United. Sharks challenged the decision through the Sports Disputes Tribunal and the High Court, arguing that the 2019 regulations should apply.



Conflicting court orders intensified the crisis. On September 18, the High Court in Murang’a directed that the new season could not commence until a playoff between Sharks and Mombasa United was held. The same day, the High Court in Kiambu ordered FKF to include Mombasa United as the 18th team in provisional fixtures. Faced with contradictory directives, FKF postponed the league’s scheduled September 19 kick-off, citing legal and operational risks to clubs, officials, sponsors and players.

FKF had already begun engaging the two clubs in search of an internal resolution. AFC Leopards chairman Boniface Ambani publicly urged a negotiated playoff as the practical way forward. The mediation process produced the agreement announced on Thursday.

The playoff clears the path for the Premier League season to proceed once the tie is decided. Clubs had prepared for the campaign only to face uncertainty, travel disruptions and fixture postponements. For Kariobangi Sharks, the matches represent a final opportunity to retain top-flight status after a decade in the Premier League. For Mombasa United, the contest offers the chance to earn promotion on the pitch after a strong National Super League campaign.

FKF is expected to finalise remaining organisational details, including venues, match officials and clearances, ahead of the October 1 first leg. The outcome will determine the final 18-team lineup for the 2026/27 season and allow competitive football to resume after weeks of disruption.