A fresh governance row is threatening to disrupt the start of the 2026/27 SportPesa League season after the Kenya Premier League Club Chairmen Leadership Forum declared that clubs will not support the competition’s kickoff until an earlier agreement on the league’s management structure is honoured.

The chairmen say a consultative meeting held in May between FKF leadership and SportPesa League clubs resolved to begin the process of restoring autonomous management of the top flight through the establishment of a Transition League Management Committee (TLMC). However, they argue that subsequent developments indicate the federation is pressing ahead with plans for the new season without implementing the agreed roadmap.

According to the chairmen, the proposed committee was to oversee the formation of a fully autonomous league management body while ensuring the transition remained within the provisions of the FKF Constitution and existing football regulations. The agreement also recognised the need to safeguard commercial agreements involving title sponsors SportsPesa and broadcast partners Azam Media.

The club bosses have, however, questioned communication indicating that the 2026/27 season will kick off on August 22, saying it goes against the spirit of the resolutions reached during the May meeting.

They also want clarification on whether the resolutions were ever tabled before the FKF National Executive Committee (NEC), and if so, what action was taken. The chairmen further expressed concern over ongoing court cases touching on football governance, warning that uncertainty surrounding the applicable regulations could affect the smooth running of the upcoming campaign.

The forum has also questioned what steps the federation has taken to facilitate the transition to an independently managed top-tier league and whether any legal framework has been developed to operationalise the proposed Transition League Management Committee.

In a bid to resolve the impasse, the chairmen have invited the FKF National Executive Committee, alongside the Leagues and Competitions Department and the Leagues and Competitions Committee, to a meeting at Nairobi’s Serena Hotel on July 21 to discuss the way forward.

Reaffirming the position adopted during the earlier consultative meeting, the chairmen noted that the transition should be “comprehensive and inclusive, ensuring full accommodation of concerns and interests from all relevant stakeholders.”

They also issued their strongest warning yet, stating:

The FKF PL 2026/27 season cannot and will not proceed under a cloud of confusion and without a clear leadership framework.”

The latest standoff comes as preparations for the new campaign gather pace and is further complicated by reports that one of the league’s commercial agreements contains provisions that could be triggered if management of the competition is transferred to another entity.

With only weeks remaining before the scheduled start of the season, the planned engagement between FKF and the SportPesa League club chairmen could prove decisive in determining whether the governance roadmap agreed in May is implemented or the 2026/27 campaign faces an uncertain start.