Kenya - List of Champions

The first reported match in Kenya took place in Mombasa, when a team representing the city played one of the HMS Partridge in August 1903. On October 8, 1904, a team of "Europeans" was defeated by the CMS Boys (freed slaves of the Church Missionary Society) in Frere Town, near Mombasa.
In 1906 the Nairobi District League Committee was founded; in September 1910 it was replaced by the Amateur Football Association of British East Africa, which apparently contacted the U.I.A.F.A. (Union internationale amateur de football association) in January 1911 with a view to membership.
This federation, whose competitions (such as that for the Dobbie Cup, played in league format and restricted to Nairobi, and the Girouard Cup, a knock-out tournament open to all clubs from the colony) initally were only for whites, was associated to the English F.A. and later renamed the Football Association of Kenya.
In 1923, the Arab and African Sports Association was formed, which organised competitions for non-Europeans.

Kenyan National Football League
1961   abandoned
1962   not held
1963 Nakuru All-Stars
1964 Luo Union
1965 Feisal
1966 Abaluhya FC
1967 Abaluhya FC
1968 Gor Mahia
1969 Nakuru All Stars [other sources: scrapped]
1970 Abaluhya FC      [season finished March 1971]
1971   abandoned
1972 Kenya Breweries
Kenyan Super League
1973 Abaluhya FC
Kenyan National Football League
1974 Gor Mahia
1975 Luo Union
1976 Gor Mahia
1977 Kenya Breweries
1978 Kenya Breweries
1979 Gor Mahia
1980 AFC Leopards
1981 AFC Leopards
1982 AFC Leopards
1983 GOR Mahia
1984 GOR Mahia
1985 GOR Mahia            
1986 AFC Leopards
1987 GOR Mahia
1988 AFC Leopards
1989 AFC Leopards
1990 GOR Mahia
1991 GOR Mahia
1992 AFC Leopards
1993 GOR Mahia
1994 Kenya Breweries
1995 GOR Mahia
1996 Kenya Breweries
Kenyan Super League
1997 Utalii
Kenyan Premier League
1998 AFC Leopards
1999 Tusker FC
2000 Tusker FC
2001 Oserian 
2002 Oserian 
2003 Ulinzi Stars     [1]
2004 Ulinzi Stars     [2]
2005 Ulinzi Stars 
2006 Sony Sugar
2007 Tusker FC
2008 Mathare United
2009 Sofapaka
2010 Ulinzi Stars 
2011 Tusker FC
2012 Tusker FC
2013 GOR Mahia
2014 GOR Mahia
2015 GOR Mahia
2016 Tusker FC
2017 GOR Mahia
2018 GOR Mahia
2019 GOR Mahia
2020 GOR Mahia
2021 Tusker FC
2022   season declared null and void
2023 GOR Mahia
2024 GOR Mahia
2025 Kenya Police
2026 

[1] KFF revoked the championship of Nzoia Sugar following their
    joining the rebel Kenya National Football League in September 
    2003; Ulinzi Stars won a play-off for the vacant title against
    Coast Stars in November 2003.
[2] Utalii won the rebel league in 2004, while the official KFF league
    was won by Coast Stars (Mombasa); an 8-team play-off to qualify for
    the 2005 CAF club competitions was won by Ulinzi and they are
    considered 2004 champions, but the CAF Champions League place went
    to runners-up Tusker as Ulinzi were suspended for 3 years from CAF
    competition following their withdrawal from it 2004.

Total Number of Wins (60)

21 GOR Mahia (Nairobi)

12 AFC Leopards (Nairobi; includes Abaluhya FC; Abaluhya FC were renamed
                 AFC Leopards SC on November 16, 1980) 
   Tusker FC (Nairobi; formerly Kenya Breweries)

 4 Ulinzi Stars (Nakuru; moved from Thika to Nakuru in 2005)

 2 Luo Union (Nairobi; merged into current club Re-Union)
   Nakuru All-Stars (Nakuru; now defunct; includes 1969)
   Oserian Fastac (Naivasha) (now defunct)

 1 Feisal (Mombasa) 
   Kenya Police FC (Nairobi)
   Mathare United (Nairobi)
   Sofapaka (Nairobi) [SOte kama FAmilia kwa PAmoja Kuafikia Azimio]
   Sony Sugar (Awendo)
   Utalii (Ruaraka)  

NB: as Abaluhya, various other 'tribal' clubs were forced to rename
    themselves in or around 1980, e.g. Gema FC became Benham FC and
    Maragoli became Imara.  Gor Mahia (named after a mythical medicine
    man called Gor) resisted the rule, and circumvented it by renaming
    themselves GOR Mahia, with GOR abbreviating Gulf Olympic Rangers.

About this document

Sources included: [FIF 31], The East African Standard

Thanks to Hans Schöggl

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans
Last updated: 14 Oct 2025