The Kenyan Premier League table is slowly shaping up according to the script of recent years. After midweek matches, usual suspects are creeping up the top four places on the log.
Gor Mahia, defending champions Tusker and Ulinzi, the three top sides last season, are queuing up for honours after posting wins in their respective games.
But the same cannot be said of AFC Leopards, whose slump seem to have begun after they lost their second straight game.
The shocking story of the season though is Western Stima finding itself propping up the table after 10 rounds.
While it may be too early to determine who will ultimately go home with the league title, the three sides who have won it over the last six years are back chasing for glory.
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Gor Mahia, champions in 2013, 2014 and 2015 took the lead with 22 points relegating Posta Rangers to the second spot. The 15-time champions comfortably beat Chemelil Sugar 2-0 in Thika with goals from Timothy Otieno and Kenneth Muguna to the delight of their coach Jose Marcello Ferreira “Ze Maria” who is otherwise saying there is no time to celebrate.
“We must keep winning. That is another match behind us and we focus on the next one,” he said. Gor meet Nzoia United next in Mumias.
Champions Tusker, after a woeful start in which they were hammered 5-2 by newcomers Nzoia United, look to have awakened from their hangover and are no longer staggering. They have hauled themselves to the top three with 18 points after their latest win-a 2-0 beating of Zoo Kericho thanks to goals from George Mandela and Humphrey Mieno.
Ulinzi beat Sofapaka by a solitary goal, Daniel Waweru scoring the lone goal to take the soldiers to joint third with Tusker.
But there is an unlikely guest in the top four-Posta Rangers, who are the only side yet to lose. They squeezed a one all draw in Muhoroni to remain equal on points with Gor Mahia, but with an inferior goal difference. Whether the mailmen will go all the way remains to be seen.
But what is being seen currently is the systematic fall of AFC Leopards, who have collected only one point from a possible 12 in the last four games and murmurs of discontent from fans are now being heard.
“The coach should go back to the 4-4-2 system, this 3-5-1 is not working,” the fans lamented on social media after Ingwe were felled by a 90th minute Sony Sugar’s Justin Omary goal in Awendo. That result has seen Ingwe, who were once on top of the table, drop to eighth with 14 points, eight off the leadership.
Western Stima remained confined at the bottom of the table after a loss to Kakamega Homeboyz and the performance of the Stima boys seems to be worrying.
Bandari remained in the top five following their 2-1 win over Nzoia United, while Kariobangi Sharks moved to sixth after beating Mathare United 2-1. Nakumatt FC too registered a similar win over Thika United to take the 12th position.
