Ulinzi Stars midfielder Boniface Muchiri (right) celebrates with team mate Hillary Simiyu after scoring during their Football Kenya Federation Cup match against Kenya Police at Kenya Police Sacco stadium in Nairobi on April 01, 2023.
Lawrence Owino, Benjamin Nyangweso, Francis Ochieng’, Mulinge Ndeto, Mike Baraza, Francis Onyiso, Geoffrey Kokoyo, Chester Okoyo Stephen Ochola, Stephen Waruru, and Eric Apul are some of the big names that played for Ulinzi Stars in the Kenyan Premier League.
They were familiar figures between 2002 and 2015 when Ulinzi Stars terrorised opponents in the Kenyan Premier League.
Afraha Stadium in Nakuru was Ulinzi’s feared home ground where many a team met their Waterloo.
The Kenya Defence Forces side, in that period, won four Premier League titles, becoming the fourth most successful club in Kenya.
These included three in a row -- 2003, 2004, 2005 -- that made them only the third club in Kenyan football history, after AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia, to achieve such a feat.
Their other league victory came in 2010.
But Ulinzi Stars, with their storied past, have been on a steady decline.
They are now placed second last in the 18-team FKF Premier League table with a paltry 19 points from 24 matches played and in mortal danger of being relegated.
Kenya Police Goalkeeper Job Ochieng chips past Ulinzi Stars Paul Okoth during a Sportpesa league match played on October 1, 2025, at Kenya Police Sacco Stadium.
It would be the first time they suffer that fate since their promotion to top flight football in 1998.
The slide has been steady.
Since 2020, the former giants have failed to finish the league in the top 10.
In 2024 and last year, they finished 12th on the table with identical 39 points, a far cry from a team that was considered among the top five.
Ulinzi have made three coaching changes over the last three months in a bid to arrest the slide.
The KDF outfit sacked Dustan Nyaudo in October 2025, replacing him with former player Stephen Ochola on an interim basis.
Ochola was shown the door on Monday, and another former player, Mulinge Ndeto, appointed.
What may have gone wrong with the KDF side in recent years?
Firstly, they may not have handled their transition well following the demise of their junior side.
When the likes of Ochola, Baraza, Mulinge Ndeto, Ochieng’ Moriero and Brian Birgen retired, Ulinzi struggled to get a similar quality of players as the newly recruited youngsters struggled.
The current crop of players, including forwards Staphod Odhiambo, Telena Oguta, defender Fredrick Odhiambo and Patrick Njoroge, have found the going tough at Kenya’s top flight competition.
“While at Ulinzi, I ensured we had Ulinzi Warriors which was the feeder side to the main team and it had talented players who were in the military only. That helped because we didn’t need to chase for talent outside with other teams. Ulinzi Warriors is no longer there and that could be affecting the flow of talent at the club,” said Salim Ali, who coached Ulinzi between 2013 and 2014, and is now the Nairobi United Technical Director.
Edward Masinde (left) of Ulinzi Stars fights for an aerial ball with David Ochieng of Kenya Police during FKF Premier League match on March 4, 2024 at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
In Nakuru, Ulinzi were the de facto local side playing in the Premier League.
Ulinzi’s home ground was Afraha Stadium, where the whole town would jam to watch them play.
With the big home support, it was difficult for Ulinzi to drop points.
When Afraha was closed for renovation in April 2021, Ulinzi Stars were forced to switch their home matches, first to Kericho Green Stadium then Ulinzi Sports Complex in April 12, 2022.
They thus lost their loyal Nakuru fan base.
Former club player Nyangweso and the longest serving coach at Ulinzi, having four separate stints between 2010 and 2022, has blamed the team management for the current woes.
“They keep changing coaches. I also feel there is not enough support from the management to the youth team in terms of talent search,” said Nyangweso.
Paradoxically, the club is one of the most stable in the league financially with salaries and allowances paid on time and in full.
The recruitment policies allow non-military players to be signed who may later be recruited to the armed forces.
“They are recruiting many players who are not soldiers and in times like these, such players know that even if the team is relegated, they will move to other clubs. For a player who is a soldier, he feels Ulinzi is part of his family and will fight on the pitch to get good results. The big issue with Ulinzi is how management is handling the team,” added Nyangweso.
Before the January transfer window, Ulinzi had 10 civilian players in their 20-squad roster.
It is telling that Ulinzi does not have a single player in the Benni McCarthy-coached Harambee Stars as the South African builds a team for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Only one Ulinzi player, Boniface Muchiri, featured for Kenya in last year’s African Nations Championships co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Only players featuring for their local leagues were eligible to play in the tourna-ment.
Struggling Ulinzi Stars now have 10 matches, including against AFC Leopards, Tusker, Shabana and Nairobi United, to rescue their Premiership status.
Former international Ndeto will have his work cut out to help his beloved Ulinzi avoid the big axe. If the KDF fighting spirit was ever needed, now is the time.
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