3K FC head coach Nicodemus Omasete/HANDOUT 3K FC are preparing to turn their remarkable rise from the lower divisions into a top-flight reality when they make their SportPesa League debut next season.
The Embu-based side secured automatic promotion after finishing second in the 2025/26 National Super League with 77 points, but coach Nicodemus Omasete insists the club’s ambitions extend far beyond simply surviving their first season among Kenya’s elite.
Their rise has been built around a strong sense of identity, with the club’s name representing the three K-named areas that formed its original base in Nginda Ward.
Nicknamed the “Home of Stars”, 3K represents a cluster of areas in Embu North sub-county, including Kagumori, Kathangari, Kibugu, Kathuniri, Kiriari and Kairuri.
What began as a local initiative has since spread beyond Embu, attracting players, supporters and admirers from across the country and abroad. Omasete believes that strong community foundation will remain crucial as 3K step into top-flight football.
“We already have a good team,” Omasete said, explaining why 3K are not planning a wholesale squad overhaul following promotion. The coach plans to retain 21 players from the promotion-winning squad while adding nine new faces to build a 30-man team.
Recruitment, he said, will focus on quality rather than reputation or the division from which a player comes. “We don’t believe in releasing players. We want to add players who can give us depth,” Omasete said.
The approach reflects the club’s desire to preserve the chemistry that carried them through a demanding NSL campaign while adding the experience required for top-flight football.
Captain Daniel “Dante” Wabwire embodies that continuity. The central defender has been with 3K for more than four seasons, having risen with the club from Division Two, and has renewed his commitment ahead of the Premier League challenge.
“I have been here for more than four seasons,” Wabwire said. The defender was a key figure in last season’s promotion campaign, scoring four goals as 3K posted the NSL’s best defensive record with 17 clean sheets.
For Wabwire, however, the Premier League debut is about more than personal achievement. It represents a new chapter for the players and supporters who have followed the club through its climb from the lower divisions.
“We have come a long way from Division Two. Now we want to show what 3K can do at the highest level,” he said. Omasete is equally ambitious. He wants 3K to look beyond the immediate excitement of promotion and establish themselves as a serious force in Kenyan football.
“In the long term, we want to make 3K the benchmark of football in Kenya. We want to dominate the Kenyan top-flight leagues,” he said. The coach also wants his players to retain the attacking identity that helped transform the club’s fortunes after he took charge midway through last season.
Omasete oversaw a remarkable run that included six consecutive victories, 22 goals and just one conceded during his initial interim spell before his appointment was made permanent. “We want to allow players the freedom to express themselves, be creative and enjoy themselves,” he said.
That philosophy has already been evident in pre-season, with 3K beating Posta Rangers 3-2 and holding AFC Leopards to a 1-1 draw. Wabwire believes the matches are helping the squad understand the demands of top-flight football while allowing new arrivals to settle into the club’s environment.
“The new players are excited to experience what it means to play at Moi Stadium,” he said. The captain has also called on the Embu community to embrace the historic moment by filling the stands when the Premier League campaign begins. “Our fans have always been our 12th man. We need them with us now more than ever,” Wabwire said.
Omasete similarly credited the supporters for driving the promotion campaign, urging them to celebrate the achievement while preparing for tougher battles ahead.
“You motivated us from the beginning and through the season. Now enjoy this moment and celebrate with the team. You deserve this,” he said.
