Back to the roots at Mutoka's as Leopards at 60 fiesta begins

March 12, 2024 – and AFC Leopards have officially turned 60 with the club celebrating its birthday in a unique way, visiting the home of the founding father Mutoka in Shauri Moyo Estate, Nairobi.

The 12-time Kenyan Premier League champions began a series activities culminating to the Shauri Moyo stop in the morning; with the main team, the Ingwe ladies team and the junior team visiting different Children's homes within Nairobi.

The first group led by Ingwe at 60 chairmen Vincent Shimoli visited the Wamo Childcare, accompanied by the main team.

In Kitusuru, club Patron Alexander Muteshi led the Ingwe team in visiting the Shangilia Mtoto wa Africa Children's home where they celebrated the day with the children.

The third event of the day saw the junior team visit Nile Road Special school, where they played a charity match with the Nile Special pupils before heading to Shauri Moyo where the main celebrations took place - including a memorable cake cutting ceremony.

Club Patron Muteshi said it was a special feeling to celebrate Leopards at 60 in Shauri Moyo, where it all began.

“We are glad as AFC Leopards family to celebrate this day at a very special place, here in Shauri Moyo. This is the place that gave birth to this special team that continues to write history in the country.

“We have lined up couple of activities throughout the month and today we visited different children homes (Kitusuru, Kawangware and Nile Road) and in all occasions we had brief ceremonies which involved cake cutting. We also have a series of events with the main event set for March 24 at Nyayo Stadium,” a jovial Muteshi said.

“We have had this long standing heritage and we intend to take it a notch higher especially after visiting this special place (Mutoka's home).”

He urged the club to invest in being self reliant heading into the future.

“We want to be like our brothers at Simba and Yanga. The younger generation needs to take the mantle and steer this team to greater heights. We don't need to be fundraising every time, self reliance is very important in this era,” he added.

Club legend Josephat Murila praised the AFC Leopards hierarchy for organising “the special” event saying it brought together, the present, the past and the future.

“In my lifetime, I have never witnessed this kind of a momentous occasion at the AFC Leopards. It is very motivating and will definitely change the club's dimension.”

Cleopa Motoka, son of club founding father Israel Motoka lauded the club Patron for organising the celebrations at his home.

“Coming to this home is definitely a blessing. This club will now realise its potential and conquer the continent,” Motoka quipped.

The club has lined up a series of activities in run up to the main celebrations to be held at theNyayo National Stadium on March 24.

On March 16, the club will have an Inter-branches football tournament at the Camp Toyoyo and Lower Jericho grounds in Jericho Estate before the finals to be held at Nyayo Stadium on March 24.

“On the main day, we will have the inter-branches final, a ladies match involving Ingwe ladies and a team from Murang'a. We will also have an AFC Leopards legends team and AFC Leopards team taking on a team from Spain,” Muteshi - the Patron added.

The key figures in the establishment of the club included Israel Mtokaa, Benjamin Ashihundu, Benjamin Barua, Joshua Odanga,Wilson Ominde and Ben Amimo.

They played a pivotal role in amalgamating several Nairobi-based clubs with roots from the Luhya community to form what would become one of Kenya’s most successful football clubs.

A.F.C. Leopards, officially known as Abaluhya Football Club Leopards Sports Club and fondly referred to as Ingwe (Luhya for ‘Leopards’), is a storied football club based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Founded on March 12, 1964, the club has a rich history.

Early Years and Formation

The club began as Abaluhya United Football Club, formed through the amalgamation of several smaller clubs from the Luhya community in Nairobi.

This merger included teams like Marama, Samia United, and Bunyore, which were all playing in Division 1 of the Kenya National Football League at the Time.

Name Changes and Growth

In 1973, the club was renamed Abaluhya Football Club, and in 1980, it adopted the name A.F.C. Leopards, which it has retained to this day. The club’s growth was marked by significant achievements, including winning the Kenyan Premier League 12 times and the Kenyan Cup 10 times.

They have also been crowned champions of the CECAFA Club Championship five times.

Recent History

In 2008, A.F.C. Leopards competed in the Nationwide League and won their zone’s title thereby earning promotion back to the top flight.