Former Harambee Stars Forward Plots First-Ever FKF Premier League Move: 'Stronger and Fresher at 41'

Former Harambee Stars striker Taiwo Leo Atieno has announced his intention to return to the pitch for the 2026/27 FKF Premier League season.

Atieno, now 41, is already undergoing a rigorous training regimen to prepare for his comeback to Kenya's top flight.

The London-born forward, who represented Kenya in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, first played for the national team in June 2009.

His professional career included stints in the English Football League with clubs like Luton Town, Walsall, Torquay United, and Barnet, as well as time in the USL First Division with the Puerto Rico Islanders and Rochester Rhinos.

"For the last four weeks, I’ve been training five hours a day across isometrics, speed work, strength, conditioning and recovery, and I’m genuinely surprised by how good I feel," he said.

"I feel stronger and fresher at 41 than I did at 29," Atieno continued. "I was fortunate not to suffer major injuries during my career. But the game asks different questions. Can you repeat high-intensity runs, react quickly, deal with contact and still make the right decision when you’re tired? That is the level I have to get back to."

Atieno stepped away from the sport following the loss of both his parents. "I lost my mother at 16 and later on my father to cancer.

When my grandmother reached 96, I wanted to spend more time with her while also learning the business of law and the law of business," he explained.

"I don’t regret that decision. I was fortunate to have a professional career, represent Kenya and experience football in England, North and Central America. I didn’t achieve everything I wanted, but I learnt more than I could have hoped for. Playing professionally in Kenya now brings a new challenge and new energy."

Atieno emphasised that his return is about more than just personal ambition. He sees it as an opportunity to contribute to a pivotal moment for Kenyan football.

"Kenyan football is entering an important period. We have Talanta Stadium, AFCON 2027 coming to East Africa and a younger generation of supporters and players coming through," he noted. "Those with professional football experience have a responsibility to contribute where we can."

He hopes his presence will elevate the level of competition. "If I’m training every day with a 20 or 22-year-old striker or centre-half, I want him to get something from competing against me. Equally, I need those players to push me towards my best levels. Healthy competition improves everybody."

The former international believes a stronger domestic league is crucial for the national team's success. "AFCON preparation cannot start when the national-team camp opens. It starts every weekend in the Kenya Premier League…how players train, recover, compete and the standards they demand from one another," Atieno stated.

"The stronger our professional league becomes, the better prepared our players will be internationally."

With Kenya set to co-host the 2027 AFCON, Atieno stressed the importance of utilising new infrastructure like the Talanta Stadium, which is currently under construction in Nairobi.

"Before 2027 AFCON, players need to become comfortable playing there, matchday staff need experience operating a football stadium, and supporters need to make it their home," he explained. "By AFCON, walking into Talanta should feel familiar to our players and supporters."

He urged the nation to aim high. "We shouldn’t think only about successfully co-hosting AFCON. We should be ambitious enough to aim for the final. Why shouldn’t the players, coaches and supporters dream about making history? We now have the stage. The preparation starts now."

Reflecting on his own time with the Harambee Stars, Atieno understands the challenges diaspora players face and hopes his experience can be a valuable resource.

"If my experience can help one diaspora player make that transition, or one domestic player understand what will be expected internationally, then there is value in me being around the game."

Despite a successful career, which included 43 appearances for Torquay United in their 2011/12 promotion-chasing season, Atieno is taking nothing for granted.

"What I did 12 years ago doesn’t matter today. I want to get physically and technically ready for the Kenya Premier League season and compete like everybody else. For me, there is something bigger than the comeback."

Kenya has a unique opportunity to cultivate a professional football environment and rally behind its national team, the Harambee Stars, as a former player eyes a return to the sport.

The player, Atieno, has been without a professional contract for 12 years but is now eligible for a comeback. According to FIFA and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) regulations, a player whose contract expired naturally can be registered by a new club outside the standard transfer window.

Specifically, Article 6(3)(b) of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players allows for such a registration, provided all other licensing and sporting-integrity requirements are met

Expressing a deep commitment to the sport's development in the country, Atieno stated, "Whether I’m contributing on the pitch, from the bench, in the stands or investing in football facilities, the objective is the same. We have an opportunity to make history."

While Atieno is preparing for a return to domestic football, his plans remain subject to ongoing legal proceedings in the United Kingdom, where he faces court charges that are currently pending before Harrow Crown Court. Atieno has maintained his innocence and questioned the media coverage surrounding the matter as the legal process continues.