NAIROBI, Kenya, September 21, 2026 – Facing intense scrutiny over recurring stadium violence and the mistreatment of sports journalists at local fixtures, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) leadership have vowed to overhaul matchday operations, extending an unreserved apology to members of the fourth estate.

Addressing reporters in the wake of recent high-profile safety breakdowns, FKF president Hussein Mohammed conceded that the federation has fallen short of its pledges to guarantee a safe working environment for accredited media personnel.

Acknowledging the friction between security officers and journalists during recent volatile league and cup fixtures, the federation chief took full responsibility for the administrative lapses.

“The apology was not particularly just for yesterday’s incident, but also generally to all members of the Fourth Estate that may have gone through such an ordeal,” the president said.

He added: “It is not our intention… when we came into office, we made certain pledges that we will not mistreat individuals or be vindictive. It is not in our business to make your job difficult. Please come, cover the game, if you are an accredited journalist, we will provide the support required.”

When questioned on why security personnel continue to mishandle media access and crowd control at major fixtures, the president pointed to a structural flaw in how matchday security is deployed.

While the federation frequently conducts training workshops for stewards and law enforcement, high turnover rates consistently wipe out those gains.

“The challenge we have is that we do training sessions, but the people who train are not consistently with the league or the federation for a long period of time,” Hussein said.

He added: “We find the same police officers who have taken up that training are either redeployed or go to other duties, and the same thing happens with stewards.”

Hussein’s comments come a day after a sports journalist complained that she had been harassed by stewards while covering a Women’s Premier League match at the Dandora Stadium on Sunday.

The scribe, from Passion Press, claimed she was subjected to a humiliating and necessary body search by stewards at the stadium.

It is the latest incident in what is increasingly becoming an unsafe environment for sports journalists to work in.

Last month, a number of reporters were reportedly harassed by security officers in the aftermath of the FKF Super Cup tie between Gor Mahia and Tusker at the Nyayo Stadium.

FKF’s proposed strategy for ensuring safety of journalists

Specialized Unit: Partnering with the Ministry of Interior to form a dedicated police and security contingent assigned permanently to football matches.

Institutional Memory: Ensuring officers handling high-octane fixtures are fully versed in sports safety, crowd psychology, and media relations.

Joint Training: Conducting synchronized training programs between security personnel, venue stewards, and media communications teams.

Protection of Journalists: Establishing strict protocols to safeguard reporters, broadcast crews, and photojournalists covering matches from media tribunes and pitch-side zones.