NAIROBI, Kenya, September 20, 2026 – Tusker CEO Charles Gacheru has called for the resignation of Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed, his deputy MacDonald Mariga and his entire national executive committee (NEC).
Gacheru says the top decision making organ in Kenyan football is directly culpable for the escalating standoff over the FKF Premier League, which is yet to kick off, a month into the 2026/27 season.
“They have failed football and they need to leave. I think the best gift they can give Kenya right now, Kenyan football is to actually exit their offices because they’ve been completely unable to lead. When you don’t have a functional league at any level…and the crown jewel is the Premier League and you are unable to host that, then you really have no more business in football,” Gacheru said.
The Tusker supremo further noted that the deadlock over the top tier league has been worsened by divisions within the NEC, pitting Hussein and Mariga.
“I’ve called FKF dysfunctional. I’ve been told I shouldn’t call them that but what do you call an FKF that can’t even hold a meeting? You’ve got two splits, one faction here, one faction there. They cannot meet to make any decision whatsoever. Football is at a standstill because you have complete breakdown at the top,” he said.
Uncertainty over the start of the 2026/27 Premier League reached a new low on Saturday when FKF’s latest attempt at a kickoff aborted hours before a ball had been kicked.
A High Court ruling in Murang’a on Friday barred the league from commencing until a case filed by one Evans Nduta is heard.
At the same time, a Kiambu High Court ruled that the federation should incorporate Mombasa United in the league fixtures, after the coastal side protested their exclusion.
Gacheru criticised FKF for poor planning, particularly with regards to development of the fixtures as well as clarification on the promotion/relegation guidelines to be used before the season starts.
“Even before we blame the court in Murang’a, where are the fixtures? Have you inspected home pitches? Have you inspected our uniforms? all this knee-jerk reaction that we saw the other day called the media, called the security people. Where have you been for one year? Is there a court that stopped you from getting ready for the next season? Getting ready for a league requires approvals, budgets,” he pointed out.
He added: “On the 10th of September, FKF announced the league on social media. By the 16th of September when we met, there was no official communication. Yet we were supposed to start the league on the 19th and you only then issue one fixture. Football is about planning.”
The whirlwind in Kenyan football was precipitated by a protest from Kariobangi Sharks who lodged a case against their relegation from the 2025/26 Premier League on the basis of new guidelines that stipulate that the bottom three teams would be automatically relegated.
Sharks, who finished 16th, argue that the guidelines were communicated after the season had started and, as a result, should have faced Mombasa United in a two-legged playoff — as per the 2019 guidelines.
In his interview with Capital FM’s Saturday Music and Sports show on Saturday, Gacheru admits that the new guidelines were communicated after the 2025/26 season had commenced — an indictment of FKF’s incompetency.
“We started wrong. The change of the rules was done after the league had started. And therefore FKF must own their mistake. This is their mistake. They made a mistake at the beginning of the season, and that is why we’re here. They must raise up their hands and say, ‘we messed,” he said.
Even as pressure mounts, Hussein has called for a press conference at the Weston Hotel on Monday morning where he is expected to explain his position regarding the league debacle, among other issues.
