Kenya’s two biggest clubs, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia, meet on Sunday at Nyayo Stadium in a key FKF Premier League match.
This will be the 99th Mashemeji derby league meeting between the two bitter rivals, who are locked in a tight Premier League title race with six rounds of matches remaining.
As the tension builds ahead of the crunch weekend tie, Nation Sport points out 11 (representing the number of players a team is permitted to field in a football match) interesting facts about this much-anticipated derby, in numbers.
Wilberforce Mulamba (left) of AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia’s Allan Odhiambo vie for the ball during a past Kenya National Football League match at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Photo credit: File
1:The first derby was play on May 5, 1968 at City Stadium. The match ended 2-1 in Gor Mahia’s favour. Deadly K’Ogalo goal poacher William "Chege" Ouma struck twice while Henry Misango replied once for Leopards, then known as Abaluhya United.
2: Only two derbies have been hosted on a Tuesday and they all took place on Labour Day, in 1990 and 2001. Also, there have been nine instances of a team defeating their rival twice in one season. Gor Mahia have done so five times.
AFC Leopards, who last did the double over Gor Mahia in 1999, will match Gor Mahia in that regard if they win on Sunday. AFC Leopards coach Fred Ambani was in the last Ingwe squad to do the double over K’Ogalo. He scored in the 3-1 win that sealed the double for AFC Leopards.
AFC Leopards players celebrate their goal against Gor Mahia in front of their fans during the Mashemeji derby at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on December 7, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
3: The number of players who have scored an own goal in the derby is three. Gor Mahia’s Hamisi Shamba in 1981, Leopard’s Allan Huma in 2009, and Gor’s Musa Mohammed 2017. Also, the derby has been played outside Nairobi thrice in its history – in Mombasa (1970 and 1978) and Homa Bay (2025).
4: Only once has a team scored four goals in the derby match, Gor Mahia on November 10, 2019, when they thumped their enemies 4-1. Incidentally, it was the fourth derby to be played in November.
5: The fifth derby, which took place on Thursday, December 16, 1971, was the first one to be played on a weekday. Also, the fixture has been played on every day of the month except these five dates: 9, 11, 13, 15, and 31.
6: The sixth derby, played on February 22, 1975, produced six goals as Gor Mahia won 5-1 away. Laban Otieno became the first and only player to score a hat-trick in the fixture.
Gor Mahia’s Dan Serunkuma and Sammy “Joggo” Onyango are the top scorers in the fixture with six goals each. AFC Leopards’ top scorer is Wilberforce Mulamba with four goals. The latter trio are also one of 13 players who have scored a brace in the fixture, with Serunkuma the only one to have done so twice.
7: AFC Leopards have lost seven of the 13 derbies they hosted in the first leg. The remaining six matches yielded one win for Ingwe and five draws. Gor Mahia have hosted the most first-leg meetings, 38.
A Gor Mahia fan cheers the team during the Mashemeji derby at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on December 7, 2025.
After Sunday’s fixture, AFC Leopards will have hosted the most second-leg fixtures, 34. Ingwe’s record in those 34 matches is 14 wins, 10 draws 10, and 10 losses. In contrast, Gor Mahia won 17 times, drawn 15 times, and lost 15 times while hosting second-leg fixtures.
8: The number of derby matches that have been played on a Wednesday, more than on any other mid-week day. Seven of those matches were played on national holidays and the remaining one at night. But most derbies, 44 in number, have been played on Sunday. Saturday matches number 33. The other days are Monday (five matches), Thursday (four), Friday (three), and Tuesday (two).
9: The 99th league derby on Sunday will be the ninth match to be played in April. The eight previous derbies played in April produced three wins for Gor Mahia, one win for AFC Leopards, and four draws. Other months have hosted the derby as follows – January (four), February (eight), March (nine), June (eight), July (five), August (nine), September (five), October (21), November (four), and December (two).
10: AFC Leopards’ longest unbeaten run in the derby is 10 matches, from 1998 to 2005. That run started after Gor Mahia had ended an eight-match winless streak against Ingew. Gor Mahia’s longest unbeaten run is 13 matches, from 2016 to 2023.
Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor follows proceedings during the FKF Premier League match against Kariobangi Sharks at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on January 6, 2026.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
11: The number of times the derby has been played on Mashujaa Day, more than on any other date. Labour Day (May 1) follows with eight matches.
Excluding national holidays, the derby has been played on February 22 and March 30 three times, which is more than on any other date.
