Mombasa United edge Kariobangi Sharks 2-1 in promotion-relegation play-off first leg

By Samuel Kosgei.

Mombasa United have taken the upper hand in the battle for a place in next season’s FKF Premier League after beating Kariobangi Sharks 2-1 in the first leg of their promotion-relegation play-off.

Playing at Mbaraki Stadium in Mombasa on Thursday, United broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute when Dennis Mabeya converted from the penalty spot.

Waziri Shentembo doubled United’s advantage 10 minutes later, putting the home side 2-0 up.

Kariobangi Sharks, however, pulled one back in the 83rd minute through Wayne Otieno to give the visitors a lifeline ahead of the return leg.

The decisive second leg will be played in Nairobi on October 6, with United carrying a one-goal advantage.

The two sides agreed to settle the promotion-relegation dispute through a two-legged play-off following mediation by the Football Kenya Federation, led by President Hussein Mohammed.

The play-off follows a prolonged delay in the start of the 2026/27 FKF Premier League season, with the composition of the top flight among the issues that have delayed the new campaign.

The High Court in Murang’a had ordered that the new season should not begin before the two sides faced off in the promotion-relegation play-off.

Sharks entered the play-offs after finishing second from bottom, while Mombasa United earned the opportunity despite never having played in the Premier League.