Mombasa United Earn Promotion After FKF Awards 2-0 Playoff Win

Mombasa United have secured promotion to the 2026/27 Kenya Premier League after the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) awarded them a 2-0 victory over Kariobangi Sharks in their abandoned playoff second leg.

The FKF Leagues and Competitions Committee delivered the decision on Friday, October 9, ruling that Sharks had forfeited the match played at Ulinzi Sports Complex on October 6.

The committee also declared Mombasa United the aggregate winners of the playoff, settling a contest that had been left unresolved after the return leg was abandoned in the 64th minute.

At the time, Kariobangi Sharks were leading 2-1 on the day, leaving the aggregate score level at 3-3. The match was stopped after the referee awarded Mombasa United a penalty, a decision that prompted protests from Sharks players.

In its ruling, the committee found that the protests escalated when Sharks kit manager Patrick Paul Otieno and a section of the club’s supporters invaded the pitch and physically assaulted the centre referee.

The referee was assessed by the medical team but later informed the match commissioner that he could not continue. The match was subsequently called off.
FKF settles promotion battle

After considering reports from the match officials and submissions from both clubs, the committee ruled that Kariobangi Sharks were responsible for the abandonment.

It applied Articles 3.3.2 and 3.3.3 of the Rules and Regulations Governing Kenyan Football (2019) and awarded Mombasa United a 2-0 victory by forfeiture.

The decision came three days after the two teams’ return leg and followed a hearing held on Friday, October 9.
Mombasa United had taken a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at Mbaraki Sports Club on October 1. Sharks’ lead in the return match briefly brought the tie level on aggregate before the abandonment left the final outcome in the hands of the federation.

The committee’s ruling has now confirmed the coastal side’s place in the top flight for the 2026/27 season.

The decision was signed by Leagues and Competitions Committee chairman Peter Kamau Chege in Nairobi on October 9, 2026.