The start of the 2026/27 SportPesa Premier League has been thrown into further uncertainty after the High Court in Murang’a stopped the competition from kicking off on Saturday, forcing Football Kenya Federation to postpone the season for the third time.

The latest twist came barely hours after the High Court in Kiambu issued orders allowing FKF to proceed with the league, including an order directing the federation to publish provisional fixtures featuring Mombasa United as the 18th team.

Following the Kiambu orders, FKF communicated to participating clubs that the league would commence on September 19, with the federation also reiterating its promotion and relegation framework for the new season.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

In the latest proceedings before the Murang’a High Court, Justice Dorah Chepkwony stopped the league from starting as scheduled, ruling that the 2026/27 season should not proceed without a promotion and relegation playoff involving Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United.

The order followed an application by Evans Nduta challenging the commencement of the season as well as the application of the disputed 2025 FKF Rules and Regulations.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on Thursday.

The latest order has effectively put the league’s planned return on hold, with FKF subsequently notifying all participating clubs and partners that the kick-off had been postponed until further notice.

“We regret to inform all participating clubs and Partners that the League kick-off has been postponed until further notice,” FKF said in its latest communication through the Leagues and Competitions Department.

The federation said it would issue a comprehensive statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the postponement, while apologizing to clubs and partners for the inconvenience caused.

The latest development caps a turbulent build-up to the new campaign.

The season was originally scheduled to begin on August 29–30 before being pushed back amid legal disputes over promotion and relegation. FKF later settled on September 19 following the Murang’a High Court ruling of August 28, which allowed the federation to proceed under the 2019 FKF Rules and Regulations.

That position was subsequently complicated by the Kiambu proceedings, which introduced Mombasa United into the equation and ordered FKF to include the club as the 18th team in provisional fixtures pending the inter-partes hearing.

FKF’s September 18 communication to clubs followed that order and confirmed the September 19 kick-off, while maintaining that the bottom three teams would be automatically relegated and the top three National Super League sides automatically promoted.

The Murang’a order has now changed the immediate picture again, bringing the Kariobangi Sharks-Mombasa United playoff question back to the centre of the league’s composition dispute.

The situation has now evolved into a legal contest involving competing court orders and questions over which teams should constitute the top flight before the season can begin.