When Gor Mahia are officially crowned the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) champions on Sunday, they will write two pieces of football history.
K’Ogalo will collect a record-extending 22nd league title. The club will also receive the highest winner’s prize money in the league’s 65-year history, a whopping Sh15 million, enough to cover the budgets of some Premier League clubs for half a year.
Gor will be coronated kings of Kenyan club football after their final match of the season against Nairobi United at Nyayo National Stadium.
K’Ogalo were confirmed winners of this season’s campaign last Sunday after their closest rivals AFC Leopards lost 2-1 to APS Bomet at Kericho Green Stadium.
Ecstatic Gor Mahia fans celebrate a goal against Muranga Seal during their FKF Premier League match at Nyayo Stadium on May 17.
Photo credit: NMG
The third-placed finisher, in this case either Kenya Police or Shabana, will receive Sh2 million in prize money.
In the East African region, the Tanzanian Premier League (TPL) pays the highest prize money. Young Africans Sporting Club received TSh650 million (Sh31.94 million) for winning the 2024/25 Tanzanian Premier League.
Ugandan league’s prize money is the lowest, USh100 million (Sh3.4 million).
Mamelodi Sundowns received R20 million (Sh158.2 million) prize money for winning the 2024/25 South African Premiership. The prize money for the winning team in Morocco is about $600,000 (Sh77 million).
Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier commended the FKF for increasing the prize money, noting it motivates teams to give their best.
“For a long time, we have complained that the amount that the league winner receives is very little, if you take into consideration the amount teams spend the whole season,” Rachier said yesterday.
“The increase to Sh15 million is very commendable. It would be something that acts as a reason to compete in the league,” added Rachier.
Veteran coach and Fifa instructor Bob Oyugi also praised the move, describing it as a step towards making the league more competitive. “Compared to where we have come from, Sh15 million is encouraging.
Former Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars defender John Bob Oyugi during the interview. PHOTO | PAULINE ONGAJI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
“Teams are motivated to give their best knowing that if they win the league, a good reward awaits them. However, there is still a need to increase the prize money further to make our league more competitive and match other leagues on the continent,” said Oyugi.
Yesterday, Rachier requested FKF to increase the prize money further, noting that clubs incur higher costs over the course of the season. He revealed that Gor spends more than Sh60 million every season to cater for away fixtures.
During the launch of the new season on September 16, 2025, FKF president Hussein Mohammed expressed his desire to increase the money to Sh50 million.
“The prize money is a good start now. One day we will pay a team Sh50 million for winning the league,” Hussein said then with optimism. “One day, our league will be the best in Africa and the world.”
Gor Mahia FC fans march through Nairobi streets on April 26, 2026 ahead of their Mashemeji Derby match against AFC Leopards at Nyayo Stadium.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
Last season’s Premiership winners, Kenya Police, did not receive any prize money.
Hussein, who was elected FKF president on December 7, 2024, said then there were no funds to reward the league winners, citing a heavy debt burden inherited from the Nick Mwendwa administration.
Under Mwendwa’s reign, league winners were entitled to a Sh5 million cash reward but payments were inconsistent.
For instance, Gor did not receive their prize money for winning the title in 2023 after Mwendwa’s administration simply said there was no money to reward them.
Stakeholders often complained that it was too low, a concern Mwendwa dismissed, saying a league’s prize money is not meant to cover a club’s expenses during a season.
When the league was recently run by the FKF Caretaker Committee in 2021-2022, Tusker were rewarded with Sh2m prize money for winning the league title.
The Mwendw-led FKF, however, voided the entire season after returning to office following the intervention of the new Kenyan government under President William Ruto.
According to Jack Oguda, the CEO of the Kenya Premier League, by the time the mandate of the company to run the league came to an end in 2020, the winners were pocketing Sh4.5 million while the second and third placed finishers received Sh2 million and Sh1 million respectively.
Under former FKF president Sam Nyamweya in 2012, the league’s winner received Sh1.2 million. In earlier years, there was no cash prize for league winners; just a trophy and bragging rights.
