Court halts start of National Super League as Darajani Gogo challenge relegation

Court halts start of National Super League as Darajani Gogo challenge relegation

Darajani Gogo went to court after finishing 17th in the 20-team NSL during the 2025/26 season, a position that placed it among the four clubs relegated under FKF's September 2025 restructuring framework.

The start of the 2026/27 National Super League has been halted after the Machakos High Court ordered a stay of the competition’s commencement and preserved Darajani Gogo FC’s status as an NSL club.

The order, issued on Friday, October 23, comes a day before the league was scheduled to begin and follows Darajani Gogo’s challenge against its relegation to Division One.

In the case of Darajani Gogo FC v Football Kenya Federation, Lady Justice Noel Adagi granted the Kibra-based club leave to pursue judicial review proceedings against Football Kenya Federation (FKF).

The court also directed that the leave operate as a stay of the commencement of the 2026/27 NSL season, effectively stopping the league from starting until the substantive application is heard and determined.

The order further preserves Darajani Gogo’s status as an active NSL member, while the club seeks an order compelling FKF to reinstate it on the 2026/27 fixture list.

FKF has been directed to await the substantive proceedings, with Darajani Gogo required to file and serve its substantive motion within seven days. The matter will be mentioned on November 17 for confirmation of filing and service and for further directions.

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The court has also given the parties an opportunity to resolve the dispute amicably.

Darajani Gogo went to court after finishing 17th in the 20-team NSL during the 2025/26 season, a position that placed it among the four clubs relegated under FKF's September 2025 restructuring framework.

The club, however, argues that FKF has applied different competition frameworks in determining promotion and relegation for the new season.

At the centre of the dispute is the contrast between the 2019 FKF framework and the restructuring criteria announced in September 2025.

Under the 2019 framework, three NSL teams would be relegated, meaning a team finishing 17th would retain its place in the second tier. The September 2025 restructuring increased the number of relegated NSL clubs to four, which brought Darajani Gogo into the relegation positions.

The club argues that FKF nevertheless relied on the older 2019 framework when it allowed a promotion playoff to be held between Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United for a place in the Premier League.

Darajani Gogo therefore contends that FKF cannot use the 2019 rules to determine promotion while applying the 2025 criteria to relegation during the same transition between seasons.

The dispute comes after FKF reached an agreement with Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United following mediation, paving the way for a two-legged playoff that helped clear one of the major obstacles to the start of the 2026/27 FKF Premier League.

However, the Sharks-Mombasa United issue was only one part of the wider promotion and relegation questions facing Kenyan football.

Four Division One clubs — Kibera Soccer, Kiminini Combined, Mfalme FC and Spitfire — had already earned promotion to the NSL after finishing top of their respective zones in the 2025/26 season.

Their places, along with Darajani Gogo's challenge, have left FKF questioning the final composition of the second tier.

The latest court order now puts the entire NSL season on hold as the federation and Darajani Gogo await further proceedings.

Darajani Gogo had argued that its relegation was unlawful, irrational and procedurally unfair, and sought judicial review remedies including certiorari to quash the relegation decision, mandamus to compel its reinstatement and prohibition to prevent the NSL from proceeding without the club.

The club has also cited Article 47 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair administrative action, and the Fair Administrative Action Act, 2015.

With the court now preserving Darajani Gogo's NSL status and stopping the league from commencing, FKF's planned 2026/27 second-tier campaign cannot proceed as scheduled.

The club has said it remains open to constructive engagement with FKF and an amicable resolution, even as it pursues the judicial review proceedings.