Kenya may not be the most prominent football nation in Africa, but the country does boast a strong football following.
Kenyan clubs combine for a grand total of one continental trophy in the nation’s entire history, while the national men’s football team, the Harambee Stars are hardly regular fixtures at the Africa Cup of Nations. They have never been past the group phase of the competition.
Compared to the perennial successes recorded in Athletics, where Kenya is a global superpower especially in long-distance racing, football in Kenya is severely starved of any meaningful success.
However, this hasn’t stopped Kenyans from following the beautiful game passionately.
Kenyan fans and football are almost inseparable, with many followers going as far as using their hard-earned money to place bets on football matches from all around the world.
According to betting affiliate marketing giants, My Betting Sites Kenya, Kenya has one of the largest football betting markets in Africa.
Kenyans are huge fans of European football clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid, but there is also a strong following for local sides like Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.
In this article, we check out the top five clubs in Kenyan football history.
5. Luo Union
Millennials and Gen Z clans may have never heard of Luo Union, but this was arguably the club that paved the way for the heavyweights of today.
They are like the forgotten members of the original Big Four in Kenya (Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and Tusker FC being the other three).
Luo Union was a regional force in the 60s and 70s, winning the league in 1964 and 1975; and consecutive Cup titles between 1964 and 1966.
They were also the first Kenyan club to win the East and Central Club Championship, securing back-to-back titles between 1976 and 1977.
These days, they may not be the names on many people’s lips, but their storied history can never be forgotten.
4. Ulinzi Stars
With four Kenyan Premier League titles, Ulinzi Stars are the most successful club in Kenya after the enduring Big 3 of Gor Mahia, Tusker FC and AFC Leopards.
Founded in 1995, the Nakuru-based club recorded three consecutive league titles between 2003 and 2005, and added a fourth in 2010.
Ulinzi Stars, Gor Mahia and Tusker are the only teams to have won three straight KPL titles. Not bad company to be in!
Unfortunately, they weren’t quite able to replicate their domestic dominance in the early 2000s on the continent. They have never gone beyond the first round of the CAF Champions League.
3. AFC Leopards
For so long AFC Leopards sat comfortably with Gor Mahia as Kenya’s most successful clubs, both forming the fierce Mashemeji Derby, but Ingwe have recently been knocked off their perch following years of drought.
Leopards have 12 league titles, but the most recent of those titles came way back in 1998. That is far too long a drought for one of Kenya’s powerhouse clubs.
AFC enjoyed their most dominant period in the 1970s and 80s, famously going unbeaten en route to the league title in 1986, and claiming six league titles between 1980 and 1989.
They also have 10 Kenyan Cup titles.
Leopards may not have made any continental finals, but they did reach the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Champions Clubs (now CAF Champions League) in 1968, and the semis of the defunct Africa Cup Winners Cup in 1985.
2. Tusker FC
By claiming the 2022 Kenyan Premier League title, Tusker FC moved above AFC Leopards into second place in the all-time list of Kenyan league champions.
While Leopards are yet to register a league triumph in this century, Tusker FC have caught up with and overtaken their rivals, winning 7 of their 13 titles between 2000 and 2022. The Brewers also have four Cup triumphs, the most recent coming in 2016.
Tusker are the only other Kenyan club to reach the final of a continental competition, finishing second to DC Motema Pembe in the 1994 Africa Cup Winners Cup. Back then, the club was still called Kenya Breweries FC.
1. Gor Mahia
This is by far the biggest club in Kenya!
Gor Mahia have won more league titles than any other club, sitting pretty at the pinnacle of Kenyan football on 19 KPL titles.
They are also the only Kenyan club to win a continental competition, having claimed the Cup Winners Cup in 1987.
In what remains one of the most significant moments for Kenyan club football, Gor Mahia edged out Tunisian giants, Esperance on away goals rule to claim the title.
They had previously made the final of the same competition in 1979, losing to Canon Yaounde.
K’Ogalo’s 11 Cup titles is also a record in Kenya.