Clubs competing in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) are set to receive monthly grants of Kshs 300,000, following the launch of a major sponsorship deal last week.
On July 31, 2025, this year, FKF signed a ten-year sponsorship agreement worth Kshs 1.12 billion for the men’s Premier League. The deal was officially unveiled last week, ahead of the commencement of the 2025-2026 season.
Under the terms of the agreement between FKF and the league’s new title sponsors, 60% of the total sponsorship amount will be directly allocated to Premier League clubs as grants, while the remaining 40% will be used to support the competition’s administrative and operational needs.
Before this deal, the men’s top tier had been without a title sponsor since the 2020-2021 season. With the new agreement in place, FKF will distribute Kshs 64.8 million annually to the 18 Premier League clubs, in addition to funding from the existing broadcast deal.
However, the announcement has stirred debate among some clubs, who argue that the allocation falls short of expectations, given the long-term nature of the deal.
Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula expressed his disappointment, stating: “What we are getting are peanuts. It smacks of desperation and will not make a difference in improving the league standards. Furthermore, our input should have been sought before the federation got involved in such a deal,” he opened up.
Another club official, who requested anonymity, raised concerns about the league’s competitiveness considering the grant amounts: “I have done my calculations, and the amount comes to not more than Kshs 300,000 per month per club. It begs the question, are we really serious as a league?” he posed.
The official added: “We should have been involved in the negotiations so that our stand can be known. We would have given our opinion because we are spending a lot of money to run the club, and we need to be compensated adequately. We spend Kshs 3million on salaries every month. What we are getting from the league is a drop in the ocean.”
FKF president Hussein Mohammed defended the deal, describing it as a positive first step for the league. “Sponsors always look for value, and the fact is, we did not have anything. Therefore, we had to start from somewhere. It is great to appreciate what we have instead of always complaining,” he said.
He also dismissed calls for clubs to have participated in the negotiations, insisting that the responsibility rests solely with FKF. Hussein further assured that additional sponsorships for the league would be announced within the next two months.