Darajani Gogo FC have obtained court orders halting the start of the 2026/27 National Super League (NSL) season and preserving their status as an active member club as they challenge their relegation to the third tier.

 The Machakos High Court issued the orders on Friday, October 23, following an urgent application by the Kibra-based club challenging Football Kenya Federation’s (FKF) decision to relegate the team from the NSL.

 Lady Justice Noel Adagi granted Darajani Gogo leave to pursue judicial review proceedings seeking reinstatement to the NSL fixture list by the FKF.

 The ruling comes just two days before the league’s scheduled kick-off on Sunday, October 25, after NSL club chairmen met FKF president Hussein Mohammed and agreed to proceed with the season without Darajani Gogo.

 The club, through its patron Dr Ahmed Kalebi, has accused FKF of inconsistently applying competition regulations in determining promotion and relegation for the 2026/27 season.

 Darajani Gogo argues that the federation relied on the 2019 rules to conduct a promotion play-off for a place in the Sportpesa Premier League but used the September 2025 criteria to relegate four NSL teams instead of three.

 The club finished 17th in the 20-team league last season and maintains that it would have retained its place in the second tier had FKF applied the 2019 regulations consistently from the Sportpesa Premier League all the way to bottom leagues in the federation’s jurisdiction

 The court has directed the club to file and serve its substantive motion within seven days. It also indicated that the parties remain free to pursue an amicable settlement of the dispute.

 The matter will be mentioned on November 17, 2026, to confirm compliance with the filing and service directions and for further orders.

 With the indefinite postponement of the second tier’s kick-off, questions remain whether FKF will move to resolve the issues as fast as possible and fix the legal loopholes that are undermining the progress of the league in general and will Darajani Gogo have play-offs to determine their fate.