Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed has blamed the postponement of the 2026/27 SportPesa League kickoff on conflicting High Court orders issued in Murang’a and Kiambu just days before the scheduled start.
In a statement on Monday, Mohammed said FKF was ready to begin the new season on September 19 after initial directions from the High Court in Murang’a on August 28, but the federation was served with two conflicting orders on the eve of the opening date.
On September 18, the High Court in Murang’a restrained FKF from starting the league until a playoff was conducted between Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United.
A day later, the High Court in Kiambu directed FKF to publish revised fixtures immediately and include Mombasa United as the 18th club without a playoff.
Mohammed said the conflicting orders created what he described as an “impossible legal situation” for the federation.
“Proceeding under those circumstances would have exposed officials, clubs, sponsors, players, and broadcasters to severe legal and commercial risk,” he said.
“To safeguard the integrity of the game, we made the painful decision to postpone the kickoff.”
FKF is now consulting its legal advisers, clubs and other affected parties as it seeks a solution that complies with both the court orders and football regulations.
“Our immediate focus is on securing a lawful, practical resolution,” Mohammed said.
He said the federation was exploring an expedited playoff or a mutually agreed structure to resolve the dispute and allow the season to begin.
Mohammed also criticised what he described as repeated and contradictory legal interventions shortly before competitions, saying they cause financial and emotional losses for clubs, players, vendors, broadcasters and commercial partners.
“Football dispute resolution must balance legal rights with the stability required to run a functional national league,” he said.
He called for football-related disputes to be handled through internal mechanisms within football’s administrative structures, citing FIFA, CAF and FKF rules.
Kenya, Mohammed said, had previously experienced suspensions and sanctions linked to third-party interference, and he urged the Judiciary to consider the wider impact of court interventions on the sport.
The postponement comes as FKF prepares for what it described as a commercially significant league season.
The federation said it had secured a Sh1.12 billion title sponsorship deal with SportPesa, alongside an Azam broadcast agreement, while clubs received Sh129.1 million in direct grants and an additional Sh20 million prize pool was introduced.
“The sponsorship is secured, the structure is built, and our singular priority is to get the ball rolling safely and legally as soon as possible,” Mohammed said.
FKF said it would continue consultations with stakeholders as it seeks to resolve the dispute and restart the 2026/27 season.