Several Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) matches have not been decided by moments of attacking brilliance but by glaring goalkeeping mistakes.
The trend has sparked debate whether it is simply poor play by goalkeepers or something more sinister, with some fans alleging match fixing.
The latest incident happened on Saturday at Kericho Green Stadium, where Shabana goalkeeper Stephen Ochieng failed to deal with an effort from APS Bomets’ Philemon Nyakwaka, spilling the ball into his own net to hand the hosts the lead in the opening minute of the match. The match ended 3-3.
That error angered Shabana fans as some took to social media to accuse the goalkeeper of making a deliberate mistake.
On January 14, Murang’a Seal goalkeeper Mustapha Oduor came under scrutiny after he cheaply dropped the ball at the mouth of his goal, allowing Gor Mahia’s striker Felix Oluoch to easily stab it home. Gor won the match 3-2.
Murang’a released Oduor five days later. In December last year, Sofapaka suspended goalkeeper Edward Olak and the team’s goalkeeping coach Wilson Obungu after they lost 2-0.
Of particular concern was the first goal, where Olak allowed the ball to seemingly, easily slip through his legs from a cross.
Goalkeeper Matthews 'Ottamax' Owino during a training session with AFC Leopards at Ikulu grounds.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Former Harambee Stars goalkeeper Mathews “Ottamax” Owino defended the goalkeepers against the match-fixing allegations, saying the errors could be a result of the demand of modern football, where goalkeepers are required to be good in both their feet and hands.
He noted that insufficient training time is often allocated to ball-handling techniques, which can contribute to such mistakes.
“The fundamental of goalkeeping is using your hands, but in modern football, goalkeepers are also required to be good at using their legs for accurate passing. Because of this, you will find that in training, enough time is not allocated for the fundamentals of goalkeeping, which is using the hands,” Owino said yesterday. He added that the errors might result from a lack of the right goalkeeping equipment, which includes gloves. “Most of our teams are struggling financially and have not shown keen interest in the equipment that their goalkeepers are using. Some of the gloves that the goalkeepers are using are not of high quality. The clubs go for cheap ones, and this denies them a good grip of the ball,” said the former Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards goalkeeper.
Former Kenya Police goalkeeper coach Abdul Iddi Salim said several factors could be behind the trend, including the profile of the goalkeepers, the quality of the goalkeeping coaches, and the equipment used in training and matches.
“Let us be broad and not just talk about match-fixing without proof. Goalkeeping is a very sensitive department. Are we really having good goalkeeper coaches on our team? Do they have the right knowledge of the game, or are we just picking anyone because he was a former goalkeeper? posed Salim.
AFC Leopards' Kelly Okonji (left) skips past Tusker's Eugine Shipwoni during FKF Premier League match at Nyayo National Stadium on January 11, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“Do our goalkeepers have the right equipment? In some teams, the goalkeeper has one glove for training and matches, but where is the grip? Do we know that the type of gloves a goalkeep?”
He cautioned that the accusation of match-fixing without proof could make goalkeepers fearful during matches.
On his part, Murang’a Seal goalkeeper coach Peter Mwaura said, “some are normal errors, others are hard to explain. If similar mistakes have happened in training, then that is understandable. But if they have never happened, then that is a concern,” said Mwaura.
He noted that the trend of cheap errors by goalkeepers in the FKF-PL calls for the goalkeeper coaches to look into how they train the goalkeepers. After playing 17 matches, Gor tops with 36 points, same as second-placed AFC Leopards. Kariobangi Sharks are placed bottom with 14 points.
