Football Kenya Federation has proposed a raft of changes to the Kenyan football pyramid which will see a return to the 16-team league format from the current 18.
The Kenyan top flight could revert to a 16-team league as soon as next year following a proposal from Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
FKF unveiled a series of proposals on Monday aimed at significantly reshaping the football pyramid in the country with the main change being the potential return of a 16-team Kenyan Premier League (KPL) from the 2026-2027 season.
Citing the need to "improve competitiveness and viability," the FKF's proposed amendments impact the entire football system, from the number of leagues and teams per league to promotion and relegation criteria.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports
The return to a 16-team KPL would replace the current 18-team FKF Premier League after the 2025-2026 season with the format having come into effect in 2017.
To facilitate this transition, FKF wants to keep the 18-team top-tier league for next season but with four teams facing relegation to the National Super League (NSL) at the season's end which would then pave the way for the reintroduction of the 16-team KPL.
Second-Tier: Kenyan Super League
)
It does not end there as there will also be changes to the second-tier which will be renamed Kenyan Super League from the current National Super League.
The second-tier will therefore revert to a two-zone format with 12 teams in each zone, starting next season, expanding it to 24 clubs from the current 20, and potentially increasing to a maximum of 28 teams split between two zones by the 2026-2027 season.
Champions of the two zones will earn automatic promotion to the Premier League as well as another team that will win a two-legged playoff between teams that finish second and third in their respective zones.
Meanwhile, three teams from each zone will be relegated to the third tier, which is proposed to be named FKF Conference League.
Third-Tier: FKF Conference League
)
The third tier, currently operating in two zones, will expand to four conferences: Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern. Each conference winner will earn automatic promotion to the second-tier Kenya Super League.
Second-placed teams in each conference will contest playoffs to determine two additional promotion slots. Meanwhile, the bottom three teams in every conference will be relegated to the newly structured fourth tier—the FKF Regional League.
Structured Fourth Tier: FKF Regional League
)
Replacing the current FKF Division Two, the FKF Regional League will now be clearly aligned with FKF’s nine regional zones: Central, Coast, Eastern, Lower Rift Valley, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Upper Rift Valley, and Western.
Each Regional League will consist of a maximum of 48 teams, divided into zones with no more than 16 teams apiece.
Champions from each region will earn promotion to the Conference League, with second and third-placed teams entering playoffs for remaining slots. The bottom four teams per zone will drop to the new fifth-tier—the FKF County League.
Fifth-Tier: FKF County League
The FKF County League will now operate in all 48 FKF-recognised counties. Each County League will host no more than 64 teams, divided into zones of up to 16 teams each.
Zone winners will be promoted to the Regional League, while second and third-placed teams will contest playoffs for promotion. The bottom four teams from each zone will face relegation to the sixth tier—the Sub-County League.
Sixth-Tier: FKF Sub-County League
The lowest level of competitive football under the new system will be the FKF Sub-County League, played across Kenya’s 290 FKF Sub-Branches as defined in the FKF Constitution. Each Sub-County League will consist of up to 48 teams, zoned into groups of no more than 16 teams each.
Promotion to the County League will be decided through playoffs among top-performing teams.