Mathare had opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over four-time champions Vihiga Queens, but Aluoch said her side lacked the character required for the derby.

Mathare United Women face a demanding run against Kayole Starlets, defending champions Kenya Police Bullets and Ulinzi Starlets after Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Kibera Soccer Women in the Nairobi derby.

Anne Arusi scored the only goal in the 66th minute, converting a penalty at Police Sacco Stadium to hand Mathare their first defeat since returning to the FKF Women’s Premier League.

“We cannot afford to have back-to-back losses. We have to go back, look at what happened and prepare for the next game because we have tough opponents coming,” said Mathare coach Ann Aluoch.

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Mathare had opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over four-time champions Vihiga Queens, but Aluoch said her side lacked the character required for the derby.

“Things did not go as expected. The character did not come out in the game. Being a derby, you need that character,” she said.

Aluoch also blamed the penalty for the defeat and called for greater defensive discipline.

“The penalty made me lose the match,” she said. “We need tactical discipline from the defenders. We need to be cautious about how we approach the game.”

The match against Kayole will be followed by fixtures against Police Bullets and Ulinzi, who finished among last season’s leading teams. Police opened their title defence with a 6-0 win over Bungoma Queens, while Ulinzi beat Gideon Starlets 2-0.

Mathare earned promotion after winning the Women’s National Super League Zone A last season. Aluoch said the decision to withdraw her captain against Kibera was tactical.

“The captain had worked her minutes. This was a tactical substitution that we made,” she said.

Kibera moved to six points from two matches after recording their second 1-0 win, having beaten Trinity Starlets in their opener.

Coach Bob Okallo said the team was still developing after adding five players.

“We are a work in progress. We have five new players and we are fortunate to pick the points early into the season. This game is more about consistency. We want to make the next games better,” he said.

Kibera finished third last season and are seeking to improve despite losing key player Essie Alisa. Maximilla Robii remains sidelined after surgery and is expected to return around November.