“He has cemented his legacy in the club’s story.”
That is how Kenya Police Football Club summed up Burundian coach Etienne Ndayiragije’s fairytale title run with the team in the 2024/2025 Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) on Sunday.
The message, shared on X alongside a photo of Burundian coach Ndayiragije smiling during his unveiling, carries far greater weight for the club that was founded in 2014.
After making a massive eight managerial changes since their promotion to Kenya’s top-tier league FKF-PL in September 2021, the law enforcers finally found the right man to lead them to success.
On Sunday, Kenya Police FC secured a maiden FKF-PL title after defeating Shabana FC 1-0 in the penultimate round of this campaign at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos. They top the 18-league standings with an unassailable 64 points.
Kenya Police players celebrate after winning their FKF Premier League match against Shabana at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County on Une 15, 2025. The victory sealed their maiden league title.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
There were jubilant scenes in Machakos on Sunday when the team’s players, club officials, and fans went into a frenzy as they celebrated their maiden league title with Ndayiragije, 46, and lifted the club’s chairman Nyale Munga high in the air.
“I’m very proud of him because he is a good coach,” Munga, who is Senior Assistant Inspector General at the National Police Service, told Nation Sport yesterday. “He knows how to settle the nerves of the players, and to manage both the senior and junior members of the team, which creates a cohesive environment for football,” Nyale said.
After the team’s triumph on Sunday, Munga said: “My technical bench is the best. They are knowledgeable on modern football techniques, and when they give instructions, they do so with a lot of vigour. I love them…After the first eight matches, we were bottom of the league, and we made a few changes to the technical bench, then we started to spring up.”
Before Ndayiragije’s appointment on a six-month contract on November 29 last year, Kenya Police FC’s Board of Trustees chairman Dr Fred Akama had said the club was not in a hurry to name a new head coach since “we do not want to have musical chairs in our coaching department.”
Akama then said that veteran coach Robert Matano, Francis Kimanzi, and Belgian Patrick Aussems were among the candidates they were considering for the job. Before joining Police FC, Ndayiragije had coached Burundi’s national men’s football team, Tanzania’s national men’s team, Burundian club Vital’O, Azam Football Club in Tanzania, and Rwanda’s Bugesera Football Club.
He became the eighth manager to be appointed by Police since their promotion to the top league in September 2021. The high turnover of coaches at the team was occasioned by the team’s failure to stamp its authority in the league despite a strong financial muscles.
David Simiyu of Kenya Police (center) attempts to dispossess Shabana goalkeeper Maxwell Mulili during their FKF Premier League at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County on June 15, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
The seven coaches who have handled the team in the FKF-PL before Ndayiragije are Salim Babu, Anthony ‘Modo’ Kimani, Beldine Odemba, Francis Baraza, Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo, John “Bobby” Ogolla and Croatian Zdravko Logarušić.
Babu, along with other members of the team’s technical bench who include Kimani was fired following the team’s dismal performance in their first five matches of the campaign. He won one match, drew three, and lost one. Babu guided Police to their first major silverware by winning the 2024 Mozzart Bet Cup. The team beat KCB 8-7 in post-match penalties after a 0-0 draw in regular time.
Instilled winning mentality
Under Babu’s leadership, Police last season finished third in the league with 57 points, behind champions Gor Mahia (73 points) and runners-up Tusker (65 points).The law enforcers had finished third the previous season on 64 points, six behind title winners Gor Mahia and five adrift of second-placed Tusker.
In their debut season in the top league (2021/22 season), Kenya Police finished ninth on 47 points, trailing league winners Tusker by a significant 19 points. Since coach Babu didn’t have Caf “A” License, a qualification required in Caf inter-club competitions, the team’s management hired Kimani to lead the team in the 2024/25 Caf Confederation Cup. They were bundled out of the competition in the second preliminary round after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Egyptian giants Zamalek SC.
Following the disbandment of the team’s technical bench, Odemba who is the coach of Kenya national football women’s team and Kenya Police Bullets, was roped in to handle the team on an interim basis. She guided the team to two draws, then Ndayiragije took over.
Ogolla was the one who guided the team to promotion to the FKF-PL from the lower-tier National Super League.
After Police lost 1-0 to AFC Leopards in what was Ndayiragije’s first match in charge, the law enforcers went on an impressive 13-match unbeaten run in the league, registering 10 wins and three draws.
Out of all the 25 league matches that Ndayiragije has been in charge of, the Police have won 17 matches, drawn five, and lost just four.
“He (Ndayiragije) made us believe that we could play well, win matches, and even challenge for the title despite our poor start of the season,” said Ochieng. “He also introduced an attacking style of football which we embraced and it has won us the league,” added the Kenya international.
Reacting to their triumph on Sunday, Ndayiragije said: “It hasn’t been easy. It has been a long journey, every game has its own challenges. I thank God we overcame them and we are now champions.”
