Ahead of Saturday’s kick-off of the 2026/2027 Kenya Premier League season, stakeholders in Kenyan football converged in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 16 for a Club Media Liaisons and Sports Journalists seminar aimed at enhancing the growth and visibility of the league.
The seminar, organized by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in partnership with the Sports Journalists Association (SJAK) and title sponsors SportPesa, brought together club media officers, photographers and sports journalists to chart the way forward for the new season.
SportPesa Partnerships and Sponsorships Manager Japheth Akhulia, who made a detailed presentation on the journey and vision for the league, said the betting firm is keen on turning the league into a full family experience.
“We want to make the league an experience and bring fans to the stadium, bring kids along. It’s the media that can help create the buzz. Opportunities abound to even do more,” Akhulia said.
“Last season the league attracted attention from as far afield as Asia, America and Europe. We can grow the league by the info the media sends out there. We want to incorporate celebrities who organically want to support the league. It is exciting Azam has more OB vans. At the end of the day we want to build the league, build the teams, but most importantly build players who make the teams in the league.”
Akhulia highlighted major milestones from the 2025/2026 season, which he termed a strong foundation for growth. These included seven monthly awards, 331 live broadcasts on Azam, a successful Annual Gala awards ceremony, 34 matchdays all played as scheduled, five All Access episodes, and the Twende Game initiative which gathered momentum with improved stadium attendances.
He noted that club engagement had also improved significantly.
According to Akhulia, the 2025/2026 season strengths included strong stadium attendance, competitive title and relegation races, recognized derby properties, wide KBC and Azam broadcast reach, consistent monthly awards, and strong adoption of the SportPesa League name.
Looking ahead to the new season, SportPesa outlined key opportunities including packaging derbies as monthly always-on properties, growing merchandise and fan rewards, building a central digital home for the SportPesa League, and connecting clubs to regional branches and community audiences. The sponsor also announced plans to hold a Fans Fun Day in the coming season to further enhance supporter experience.
SJAK President James Waindi lauded the seminar iniative, saying the media remains a key partner in developing the league.
“We as SJAK commit to responsible and professional coverage. We will work with FKF and SportPesa to ensure the SportPesa League story is told to the world.”
