Kenya Police Bullets celebrate their Women Premier League 2025-2026 title win at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
The 2025-2026 season of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Women’s Premier League ended at the weekend with the crowning of Kenya Police Bullets who maintained a iron grip on the gong to extend their reign to three years in a row.
Bullets triumph left their bitter rivals Ulinzi Starlets in familiar second place while Gideon Starlets were relegated alongside Nyanza compatriots Kisumu Allstarlets and Kisped Queens.
It was a season defined by a stark bittersweet contrast of a glittering display of dominance on one end of the table and a heartbreaking narrative of financial ruin on the other.
At the peak of Kenya women’s football, Police proved once again that they are unstoppable and a powerhouse in the making as they bagged their third consecutive gong. They garnered a total of 52 points to retain their title as Ulinzi Starlets settled for second best with 47.
Bullets relentless consistency, a solid defence and the attacking prowess of stars like league top scorer Margret Kunihira propelled them to another successful season.
They ended their campaign with a 1-0 victory against Soccer Assassins who survived the chop in spite of the defeat. Ulinzi Starlets on the other hand demolished Bungoma Queens 7-1 in their last season duel while Trinity Starlets completed the top three.
Kibera Soccer Women, former champions Vihiga Queens, Kayole Starlet, Zetech University, Bungoma Queens and Assassins finished in fourth to ninth in that order.
However, as Police celebrated their historic hat-trick of league titles, a dark shadow loomed over the Nyanza Region as all the three sides exited the top tier. While Gideon Starlets fought to the bitter end in a bid to remain in the Premier League, the fate of their compatriots Kisumu Allstarlets and Kisped Queens had been sealed mid-season.
The duo was expunged from the league and duly demoted to the lower tier after failing to honour matches.
Unable to meet their financial obligations, the two sides were incapable of traveling for away matches let alone cover accommodation costs and player allowances.
This would force them into a series of costly forfeitures that triggered their automatic mid-season relegation. Their tragic collapse exposed the deep structural neglect haunting Kenyan women’s football.
The Kenyan girls have proven beyond doubt that with the right support and proper investment they can excel and compete on the biggest stages of football like the World Cup. However, despite a series of successes like Junior Starlets qualifying for the 2024 Under-17 Fifa Women’s World Cup and Harambee Starlets securing their return to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) they are still shackled and not empowered to reach their full potential.
As the dust settles on the local league, the Kenyan champions will now shift focus to the 2026 Caf Women’s Champions League Cecafa Zone qualifiers. Bullets will be hoping to be third time lucky having made two failed attempts in 2024 and 2025.