Assassins' technical director, Alex Alumira/ HANDOUTFresh from securing promotion back to the FKF Kenya Women’s Premier League, Soccer Assassins head coach Francis Muhambe believes the club’s greatest success goes beyond results.
The coach pointed instead to a youth-driven model that continues to feed Kenya’s national teams as they prepare for life in the top tier.
The Madira-based side is targeting a solid finish on their return to the elite division, leaning on a youthful squad and a development structure that has defined their rise while positioning themselves as one of the country’s most consistent talent producers.
Soccer Assassins have supplied several players to Kenya’s junior national teams, with members of the squad featuring for the Rising Starlets at the historic 2024 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Their steady contribution has reinforced the club’s growing reputation as a reliable pathway from school football to the international stage.
Among those who have earned national call-ups are forward Valerie Nekesa and striker Charity Midewa, both of whom have featured for the Kenya U-20 Rising Starlets and in provisional squads ahead of international qualifiers.
Midfielder Brenda Awuor and goalkeeper Mitchelle Achieng were also named in provisional Junior Starlets squads for recent cup qualifying duties.
“These call-ups confirm that we are on the right path,” Muhambe said, maintaining that development remains the club’s core mission even as they chase results at the highest level.
“Our objective is to make Madira Soccer Assassins a centre for nurturing and producing talent that will light up Kenyan and international football,” he added. “Promotion is important, but our philosophy is built on long-term growth rather than short-term success.”
The Assassins sealed their Premier League return by clinching the 2024/25 FKF Women’s National Super League Zone ‘B’ title with 45 points, finishing four points ahead of Gideon Starlets to secure automatic promotion.
It marks their second stint in the top flight after relegation at the end of the 2023/24 season, where the school-based outfit managed 14 points from 19 matches in a campaign disrupted by national-team call-ups and academic commitments. Despite the setback, the club’s development pipeline remained intact.
Club director Alex Alumirah echoed the coach’s sentiments, noting that the Assassins’ structure is designed to guide players from the school level into elite football.
“Our dream as a club is to nurture talent from a young age all the way into adulthood,” Alumirah said.
Off the pitch, the club received a major boost ahead of the campaign after securing a Sh1.5 million sponsorship package, supporting both football operations and the education of their largely school-going squad.
The transfer window brought notable changes, including the departure of Kenya U-20 captain and team skipper Jane Hato, who left in a move linked to Mathare United Women.
Although winger Susan Muhonja was among players linked with a switch to the Vihiga-based side, no major January arrivals were confirmed as the club opted to retain the core that powered their promotion. The FKF mid-season transfer window for the 2025/26 campaign ran from January 5 to February 2.
With a squad heavily drawn from school programmes and junior internationals, Soccer Assassins will rely on cohesion, pace and attacking depth as they test themselves against established contenders such as defending champions Kenya Police Bullets, Vihiga Queens and Ulinzi Starlets.
They begin their home campaign against Kisped Queens at Mumboha Stadium on Saturday. Having bounced back at the first attempt, strengthened their support structures and retained a national-team-laden core, Soccer Assassins now return to the top flight determined to turn survival into a genuine push up the standings.
