AFC Leopards' Maxwell Otieno (right) vies for the ball with Joseph Odhiambo of Gor Mahia during their Football Kenya Federation Premier League match at Nyayo National Stadium on March 30, 2025.
Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohamed Tuesday said the FKF Premier League second leg match between rivals Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, scheduled for this Sunday, had been postponed because of security and safety reasons.
The football boss revealed the federation was taking stock of the challenges experienced in managing the crowd during last Sunday’s sold out ‘Mashemeji’ derby and the equally attended beyond capacity Harambee Stars' World Cup qualifier against Gabon at Nyayo National Stadium a week earlier.
“From the past two weekends, it is evident the fans are back and the love and passion for football has been seen.
The issue of security, safety and proper planning has necessitated a change of plans which will last for about two to three weeks as we plan for the next derby,” said Mohamed in an interview with Nation Sport.
Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards played out to a barren draw in the hugely followed derby that excited local fans exhibited by the massive attendance.
However, there were safety and security concerns with how the fixture was handled.
Crowds clearly overwhelmed the security in place with entry well beyond the capacity of the 22,000-capacity facility.
It was the same case with the Harambee Stars match against Gabon.
“We needed a break so as to plan better. I don’t want a scenario where fans and families have come to attend matches but they end up in a cloud of tear gas or push and pull at the gate.
“Fans are back and we need better planning, more security officers and fans education for the next Mashemeji derby. We want to use the next derby to show that football can be played in a conducive environment irrespective of the fans turnout and correct what didn’t go well in the last two big matches,” he said.
Already both Leopards and Gor fans were yearning for Sunday’s second leg with mobilisation already in high swing.
Mohamed had last week said the derby was to be on played back-to-back weekends.
The FKF supremo said the huge fan base and overwhelming attendance had turned chaotic in both matches and that is why FKF needed to consider what happened and put more focus on security in the next derby.
In the Harambee Stars clash with Gabon, fans in their multitude broke one gate and forced their way into the stadium without tickets.
Last Sunday, police had to lob tear gas to bring order and disperse a section of fans trying to force their way into the stadium.
The first leg of the 'Mashemeji' derby was initially scheduled for November 23 last year with Leopard as a host, but was postponed due to lack of a venue as both Nyayo and Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani were still closed for renovations.
Rescheduled for March 1, the match was again postponed for the same reason. Gor, according to the original fixtures, were set to host Leopards on Sunday.
Gor Mahia said the proposal to play the first and second leg ties against Leopards had been discussed during meetings between the two clubs.
“This is an idea which came up and we were convinced it would work because we needed the two matches to be held when Nyayo was available after earlier postponements. However, the federation has released fixtures which show we shall play with KCB at Machakos this weekend,” said Gor Mahia Head of Communications Nick Okello.
“It was a discussion which was there and reached our fans but the reverse fixture is most likely to be played after three weeks or by the end of this month,” he said.
The 2024 Chan Local Organising Committee Chairman, Nicholas Musonye, had warned the two teams that they risked being locked out of Nyayo and Kasarani for years should their fans destroyed stadium property.
