In a move that goes against FIFA statutes (that prevent member associations from taking football matters to courts of law) the Football Kenya Federation gone to court and obtained High Court orders at Milimani Law Courts suspending the enforcement of a decision by the Sports Disputes Tribunal that had quashed the federation’s ruling to award Nairobi United FC and Gor Mahia FC one point each after their abandoned match.
Filed as HCJR/E066/2026, the case involves the FKF Leagues and Competitions Committee and the FKF Disciplinary Committee against the Sports Disputes Tribunal, Nairobi United FC, and other parties.
The match had been played on Sunday, 21 December, in a match that was abandoned in the 58th minute. FKF LLC later made a decision, that stated that the said match was abandoned due to “force majeure” and awarded both sides a point each.
However, the tribunal had nullified FKF’s decision to award both Nairobi United and Gor Mahia one point. The SDT also declared FKF’s Disciplinary Committee and Appeals Committee illegal. FKF’s LLC was also tasked to determine the fresh case under the Rules and Regulations Governing Kenyan Football (2019), and not those from 2025, which were used to determine the initial ruling, but were not in effect, nor agreed in a General Assembly at the beginning of the 2025-2026 FKF Premier League season.
But, instead of meeting the demands of the SDT, FKF moved to court to stop the implementation and enforcement of the SDT ruling until the main motion is heard and determined, while in a separate order prohibiting the tribunal from further hearing and determination of any disputes arising from the interested parties before the exhaustion of appeal mechanisms provided for under the FKF Appeals Committee.
On March 10, when the matter was brought before Lady Justice R.E. Aburili, the High Court classified FKF’s application as urgent and granted the federation permission to seek orders of certiorari to quash the tribunal’s ruling. The court further directed the main motion to be filed and served within the next 21 days, with the mention scheduled for 20 April 2026.
The federation’s move comes just five days after the tribunal nullified its earlier ruling on the abandoned Nairobi United–Gor Mahia fixture and directed the FKF Leagues and Competitions Committee to revisit the matter and deliver a fresh verdict.
The dispute has significant implications for the Kenyan Premier League standings. Gor Mahia currently lead the table with 50 points from 23 matches, while Nairobi United sit tenth with 30 points from 20 games.
With the High Court’s stay order now in effect, the tribunal’s directives are temporarily suspended, leaving the issue to be resolved once the court considers FKF’s challenge.
