Tusker CEO Charles Gacheru with CAF president Patrice Motsepe/HANDOUT Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed has hit back at calls for his administration to resign, accusing its critics of double standards as the dispute over the delayed start of the 2026/27 SportPesa Premier League escalates.
Hussein took particular aim at those calling for a caretaker committee and intervention by Caf and Fifa, saying some of the federation’s critics had their own record to account for.
“Just recently, I saw a member from one of the football clubs talking about a caretaker committee and Caf and Fifa intervention. Why would you want a normalisation committee or FKF to be suspended? Some of them…we know…they have destroyed other disciplines. You have destroyed other sports, and now you have come to football,” he said.
His remarks came days after Tusker CEO Charles Gacheru called for the FKF leadership to leave office, accusing it of failing to provide the structures required to run the country’s top flight.
“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,” Gacheru said.
“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.”
The new Premier League season was scheduled to begin on September 19 but was postponed amid a dispute over the competition rules and an ongoing legal battle.
Gacheru also questioned the federation’s ability to make decisions, saying divisions within its leadership had affected the game. “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 a complete breakdown at the top,” he said.
The Tusker chief said the problems went beyond the court case, questioning why preparations for the new season had not been completed earlier. “Even before we blame the court in Murang’a, where are the fixtures? Have you inspected home pitches? Have you inspected our uniforms?” he said.
“Getting ready for a league requires approvals, budgets.” Gacheru also criticised FKF’s communication, saying clubs have been left with little time to prepare for the proposed opening weekend.
“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 issued one fixture. Football is about planning,” he said.
He further blamed the federation for changes to the competition rules, arguing that the timing of the changes contributed to the current impasse. “We started wrong.
Changes to the rules were made 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 their hands and say, ‘we messed up’,” he said.
Hussein, however, rejected the criticism and said those attacking FKF’s leadership should also be prepared to answer questions about their own records.
“It is not acceptable…you have gone and destroyed Safari Rally. First go and answer those allegations before coming to bother us in football. You represent a big corporate institution…we will call these things out. I will not allow people to come here and shout and yet we know your history and what you have done elsewhere,” he said.
The exchange has widened the dispute over the delayed league kick-off into a broader debate about FKF’s leadership, planning, governance and accountability, with clubs still awaiting clarity on the start of the new campaign.
