Nairobi: Kenya has opted to end its Premier League season prematurely and enthrone Gor Mahia as season champions in order to meet the deadline imposed by continental governing body CAF.
On Monday, CAF had given Kenya eight days to relay the status of their league and confirm if they would continue with it or have it annulled, reports Xinhua news agency.
This is in relation to the global COVID-19 pandemic, with Kenya having 396 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.
“After consideration, we have reached a decision to announce the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) has ended. Congratulations Gor Mahia! You are champions once again and you will represent Kenya in the CAF Champions League next season. Let us do this,” Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa said in a message directed at Gor Mahia on Thursday.
Nairobi City Stars have also been promoted to the KPL from the lower leagues.
“Let me take this opportunity to welcome Nairobi City Stars to the Kenyan Premier League. The time is now to recruit top players,” added Mwendwa.
After 23 league games, Gor Mahia were sitting top with 54 points followed by Kakamega Homeboyz. However, the Kenyan government halted all sporting activities in March with nine league games still left to play.
CAF’s demand on Kenya was in line with the trend in Africa, where all football leagues except Burundi’s have been suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, CAF is yet to give a clear roadmap on what will happen next and how they will navigate the remaining months until the next season begins in August.
