FKF targets grassroots revival through county partnership

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has intensified its push to transform grassroots football after agreeing to work with the Council of Governors to strengthen talent development and improve football structures across the country.

The partnership, discussed during a meeting between FKF President Hussein Mohammed and Council of Governors Chairman Ahmed Abdullahi on Tuesday, will see county governments collaborate with FKF through a standard memorandum of understanding aimed at creating a unified approach to football development.

Under the agreement, counties and FKF will standardize affiliation fees, jointly train referees and coaches, and organize structured football competitions to improve the quality and consistency of the game at the grassroots level.

The initiative is also expected to strengthen talent identification and youth development programmes, providing a clear pathway for promising players to progress through Kenya's football pyramid.

"There will be a standard template for collaboration through a memorandum of understanding between FKF and the county governments.

“This will cover standardization of affiliation fees across all counties, collaboration with respect to referees training, coaches training and the actual footballing events that happen across," said Abdullahi.

Hussein emphasized that county governments have a critical role in supporting local leagues and building a sustainable football ecosystem capable of nurturing talent while creating economic opportunities.

"We need as FKF together with county governments to build on the software which is the leagues and competition that we intend to work on together to ensure that we commercialize football in a sustainable manner.

“We have to do this so that we create jobs, employment opportunities and an ecosystem that will benefit thousands of our youth within this sport," said Hussein.

The partnership forms part of FKF's broader strategy to revitalize Kenyan football from the grassroots by improving governance, expanding competitive opportunities, and ensuring young players across all 47 counties have a better chance of reaching the national and professional levels.