A proposal, not a programme
The Governors' League
KPL's own proposal for a competition involving all 47 counties, using county-built stadiums that mostly sit idle, as the pipeline that finds young players where they live.
A proposal. KPL announced the idea in October 2024 and took it to the Council of Governors. Nothing below is agreed, funded or sanctioned — it is our own costing of what the competition would need, published so a county can argue with it.
Cost of one fixture
$500
Officials, pitch, medical, kit and travel
Fixtures costed a county season
22
One matchday programme plus play-offs
One county season
$11,000
At our own Kenyan rates
All 47 counties, one season
$517,000
The whole competition, once
What it is
- Announced by KPL in October 2024 and taken to the Council of Governors, with the first county conversations reported in Trans Nzoia.
- A county-level competition sitting under the professional pyramid, built to be a development route rather than a rival league.
- Its stated purpose is twofold: find talent at county level, and put publicly funded stadiums into regular use instead of leaving them empty between rallies and rare fixtures.
Why it fits these facilities
- It needs exactly the facilities recommended here: one playable, floodlit community ground and a modular county stadium in every county, plus courts for the age groups below.
- It answers the geography problem in KPL's own plan — two thirds of top-flight clubs are in Nairobi while 87% of Kenyans are not.
- It gives the schools programme, the county academy and the professional club a competition to feed, which is the part usually missing when facilities are built.
Why now
- County stadiums already built with public money sit idle for most of the year, so the fixed cost of the venue is largely already paid.
- Two thirds of top-flight clubs are in Nairobi while 87% of Kenyans are not, which is the geography problem the league's own plan names.
- A schools programme, a county academy and a professional club all need a competition to feed. Without one, the facilities get built and then go quiet.
How A Season Would Run
Teams
12 per county, drawn from sub-county and ward champions rather than invited clubs.
Season
A single round of 11 matchdays, then a county final and a regional play-off round.
Costed programme
22 fixtures a county season — one full matchday programme plus the play-off rounds. A county can scale it up or down; every figure below is per fixture.
Where it sits
Below the National Super League, as a development route into it. Not a rival competition and not a replacement for county cup football.
Who plays
Under-20 and open-age squads registered through the county football association, with a women's division run on the same calendar and the same venues.
The Venues Each County Would Need
The competition only works where there is somewhere to play it. These are the venue classes a county would need in place, and every one of them is already costed in the facility library.
| Venue | Per county | What it hosts | Specification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County modular stadium | 1 | The county final, the play-off rounds and the marquee matchdays. | 3,000 to 5,000 demountable seats, floodlights, changing rooms to licensing standard and a hard apron for stalls and school events. | See it costed |
| Playable community 11-a-side ground | 2 | The weekly matchdays, so fixtures are not all hauled to one town. | Graded and drained pitch, goals to regulation dimensions, marked run-off, floodlights and a medical room. | See it costed |
| Stackable 5-a-side and futsal courts | 4 | The age groups below, and midweek training for every squad in the competition. | Fenced, floodlit, overlaid markings for basketball, netball and volleyball. | See it costed |
What A Season Would Cost
| Season cost line | Per fixture | Per county season |
|---|---|---|
| Match officials, three per fixture | $45 | $990 |
| Pitch preparation and floodlighting per fixture | $120 | $2,640 |
| Match-day medical and safety per fixture | $85 | $1,870 |
| Ball, kit and equipment share per fixture | $40 | $880 |
| Team travel, county-level average per fixture | $210 | $4,620 |
| 22 fixtures a county season | $500 | $11,000 |
All 47 counties, one season: $517,000
Fixture costs are our own estimates at Kenyan rates, published so a county can argue with them. Nothing here is agreed with KPL, the Council of Governors or any county.
KPL's county competition plan, reported October 2024Which Counties Could Host It, And Which Need A Ground First
A 47-county competition needs 47 places to play. This grades every county against the venue register — the venues we can name, and how well each one is evidenced. It is a register of grounds, not of licences: no row here is a safety certificate or a pitch inspection, and every row can be corrected by whoever knows the ground.
Could host now
16
52% of Kenyans live there
Reported, needs checking
31
A ground is named but unverified
Nothing on file
0
No venue recorded at all
A season in the ready counties
$176,000
At $11,000 a county season
Could host now
A national or county stadium whose footprint we can check against a published figure. It would still need a pitch inspection, floodlights and a medical room signed off before a fixture is played on it.
Reported, needs checking
A stadium is named in county or press reporting, but we could not verify its footprint. Somebody local can confirm or correct it in a minute.
Nothing on file
No venue is recorded in the register for this county. That is as likely to be a gap in the published record as a gap in the ground — school and mission fields are almost entirely unrecorded.
| County | Grade | The ground | Type and size | What it still needs | Check it or send it on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baringo0.67m people | Reported, needs checking | Kabarnet Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Bomet0.88m people | Could host now | Bomet Green Stadium | County stadium22,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Bungoma1.67m people | Could host now | Masinde Muliro Stadium, Kanduyi | County stadium24,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Busia0.89m people | Reported, needs checking | Busia Municipal Stadium | County stadium16,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Elgeyo Marakwet0.45m people | Reported, needs checking | Iten Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Embu0.61m people | Reported, needs checking | Kinthiga Stadium, Embu | County stadium17,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Garissa0.84m people | Reported, needs checking | Garissa Stadium | County stadium18,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Homa Bay1.13m people | Reported, needs checking | Homa Bay Stadium | County stadium18,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Isiolo0.27m people | Reported, needs checking | Isiolo Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Kajiado1.12m people | Reported, needs checking | Kajiado Stadium | County stadium16,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Kakamega1.87m people | Could host now | Bukhungu Stadium | County stadium30,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Kericho0.90m people | Could host now | Kericho Green Stadium | County stadium22,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Kiambu2.42m people | Could host now | Kirigiti Stadium, Kiambu+ 1 more on file | County stadium24,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Kilifi1.45m people | Reported, needs checking | Kilifi Township Stadium | County stadium17,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Kirinyaga0.61m people | Reported, needs checking | Kerugoya Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Kisii1.27m people | Could host now | Gusii Stadium | County stadium24,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Kisumu1.16m people | Could host now | Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground+ 1 more on file | County stadium26,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Kitui1.14m people | Reported, needs checking | Kitui Stadium | County stadium17,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Kwale0.87m people | Reported, needs checking | Kwale Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Laikipia0.52m people | Reported, needs checking | Nanyuki Stadium | County stadium17,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Lamu0.14m people | Reported, needs checking | Mkunguya Ground, Lamu | Public ground12,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Machakos1.42m people | Could host now | Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos | County stadium25,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Makueni0.99m people | Could host now | Wote Stadium | County stadium19,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Mandera0.87m people | Reported, needs checking | Mandera Stadium | County stadium16,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Marsabit0.46m people | Reported, needs checking | Marsabit Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Meru1.55m people | Could host now | Kinoru Stadium | County stadium27,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Migori1.12m people | Reported, needs checking | Awendo Green Stadium | Club ground18,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Mombasa1.21m people | Could host now | Mombasa Municipal Stadium+ 1 more on file | County stadium19,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Murang'a1.06m people | Reported, needs checking | Murang'a Stadium | County stadium18,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Nairobi4.40m people | Could host now | Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani+ 4 more on file | National stadium60,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Nakuru2.16m people | Could host now | Afraha Stadium | County stadium30,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Nandi0.89m people | Could host now | Sudi Stadium, Kapsabet | County stadium20,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Narok1.16m people | Reported, needs checking | Narok Stadium | County stadium17,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Nyamira0.61m people | Reported, needs checking | Nyamira Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Nyandarua0.64m people | Reported, needs checking | Ol Kalou Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Nyeri0.76m people | Could host now | Ruring'u Stadium | County stadium21,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Samburu0.31m people | Reported, needs checking | Maralal Stadium | County stadium14,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Siaya0.99m people | Reported, needs checking | Bondo Stadium | County stadium16,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Taita Taveta0.34m people | Reported, needs checking | Voi Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Tana River0.32m people | Reported, needs checking | Hola Stadium | County stadium13,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Tharaka Nithi0.39m people | Reported, needs checking | Chuka Stadium | County stadium18,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Trans Nzoia0.99m people | Reported, needs checking | Kitale Showground | Public ground20,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Turkana0.93m people | Reported, needs checking | Lodwar Stadium | County stadium16,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Uasin Gishu1.16m people | Could host now | Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Eldoret | County stadium28,000 m² | A pitch inspection, floodlights and a match-day medical room | Share |
| Vihiga0.59m people | Reported, needs checking | Mumias Complex, Vihiga | Public ground15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| Wajir0.78m people | Reported, needs checking | Wajir Stadium | County stadium16,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
| West Pokot0.62m people | Reported, needs checking | Kapenguria Stadium | County stadium15,000 m² | Somebody local to confirm the ground exists and is playable | Share |
Venue footprints and verification labels come from the county land audit. Nothing here confirms ownership, tenure, consent or match-day safety.
Know a ground we have missed? Tell us and we will add itFebruary to July 2027
A Season With Dates On It
Twenty-two matchdays laid across a February to July window, on the weekends, at grounds already on file. Two weeks are left clear for half-term and the school holidays. This is a worked example so a county can see the shape of a season and argue with it — not a fixture list, not sanctioned, and in nobody's calendar.
Matchdays
22
Across 24 weeks with 2 clear
First kick-off
Sat 06 Feb 2027
Last on Sun 18 Jul 2027
Counties hosting
16
The counties that could host now
The season
$11,000
$500 a fixture
| MD | Date and kick-off | Round | County | Ground | Running cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat 06 Feb 202716:00 | Group stage, first half | Bomet | Bomet Green StadiumCounty stadium | $500 |
| 2 | Sun 14 Feb 202715:00 | Group stage, first half | Bungoma | Masinde Muliro Stadium, KanduyiCounty stadium | $1,000 |
| 3 | Sat 20 Feb 202716:00 | Group stage, first half | Kakamega | Bukhungu StadiumCounty stadium | $1,500 |
| 4 | Sun 28 Feb 202715:00 | Group stage, first half | Kericho | Kericho Green StadiumCounty stadium | $2,000 |
| 5 | Sat 06 Mar 202716:00 | Group stage, first half | Kiambu | Kirigiti Stadium, KiambuCounty stadium | $2,500 |
| 6 | Sun 21 Mar 202715:00 | Group stage, first half | Kisii | Gusii StadiumCounty stadium | $3,000 |
| 7 | Sat 27 Mar 202716:00 | Group stage, first half | Kisumu | Jomo Kenyatta Sports GroundCounty stadium | $3,500 |
| 8 | Sun 04 Apr 202715:00 | Group stage, first half | Machakos | Kenyatta Stadium, MachakosCounty stadium | $4,000 |
| 9 | Sat 10 Apr 202716:00 | Group stage, second half | Makueni | Wote StadiumCounty stadium | $4,500 |
| 10 | Sun 18 Apr 202715:00 | Group stage, second half | Meru | Kinoru StadiumCounty stadium | $5,000 |
| 11 | Sat 24 Apr 202716:00 | Group stage, second half | Mombasa | Mombasa Municipal StadiumCounty stadium | $5,500 |
| 12 | Sun 02 May 202715:00 | Group stage, second half | Nairobi | Moi International Sports Centre, KasaraniNational stadium | $6,000 |
| 13 | Sat 08 May 202716:00 | Group stage, second half | Nakuru | Afraha StadiumCounty stadium | $6,500 |
| 14 | Sun 23 May 202715:00 | Group stage, second half | Nandi | Sudi Stadium, KapsabetCounty stadium | $7,000 |
| 15 | Sat 29 May 202716:00 | Group stage, second half | Nyeri | Ruring'u StadiumCounty stadium | $7,500 |
| 16 | Sun 06 Jun 202715:00 | Group stage, second half | Uasin Gishu | Kipchoge Keino Stadium, EldoretCounty stadium | $8,000 |
| 17 | Sat 12 Jun 202716:00 | Quarter and semi-finals | Bomet | Bomet Green StadiumCounty stadium | $8,500 |
| 18 | Sun 20 Jun 202715:00 | Quarter and semi-finals | Bungoma | Masinde Muliro Stadium, KanduyiCounty stadium | $9,000 |
| 19 | Sat 26 Jun 202716:00 | Quarter and semi-finals | Kakamega | Bukhungu StadiumCounty stadium | $9,500 |
| 20 | Sun 04 Jul 202715:00 | Quarter and semi-finals | Kericho | Kericho Green StadiumCounty stadium | $10,000 |
| 21 | Sat 10 Jul 202716:00 | County final and regional play-off | Kiambu | Kirigiti Stadium, KiambuCounty stadium | $10,500 |
| 22 | Sun 18 Jul 202715:00 | County final and regional play-off | Kisii | Gusii StadiumCounty stadium | $11,000 |
Kick-off times assume daylight, because most of these grounds have no floodlights yet. Dates are a worked example of a season window and no venue has been asked, booked or committed.