| Season | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Men's football | |
| Premier League | Mathare United |
| Nationwide League | A.F.C. Leopards (Zone A) Sofapaka (Zone B) |
| KFF Cup | Gor Mahia |
 | |
The following article is a summary of the 2008 football season in Kenya , the 45th competitive season in its history.
The Premier League was sponsored by South African television channel SuperSport, meaning that it was broadcast live on TV after several years and offered financial benefits. [1] Francis Ouma, with 15 goals, finished as the top scorer. [2]
16 teams took part and Mathare United won its first league title. The season concluded on November 22, 2008.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathare United (C, Q) | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 63 | Qualification for 2009 CAF Champions League |
| 2 | Sony Sugar | 30 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 17 | +17 | 60 | |
| 3 | Agrochemical | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 48 | |
| 4 | Ulinzi Stars | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 45 | |
| 5 | Thika United | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 23 | 20 | +3 | 43 | |
| 6 | Chemelil Sugar | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 40 | |
| 7 | World Hope | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 31 | −6 | 40 | |
| 8 | Tusker | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 39 | |
| 9 | Gor Mahia | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 39 | Qualification for 2009 CAF Confederation Cup [a] |
| 10 | Sher Karuturi | 30 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 17 | 19 | −2 | 38 | |
| 11 | Kenya Commercial Bank | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 23 | 27 | −4 | 36 | |
| 12 | Red Berets | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 33 | |
| 13 | Bandari | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 28 | 36 | −8 | 33 | |
| 14 | Western Stima | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 32 | 41 | −9 | 33 | |
| 15 | Mahakama (R) | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 32 | Relegation to 2009 Nationwide League |
| 16 | Mathare Youth (R) | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 43 | −16 | 25 |
Mahakama and Mathare Youth were relegated from the league and were replaced by Nationwide League champions A.F.C. Leopards and Sofapaka, who were top in Zone A and Zone B respectively. [3]
The Nationwide League was played in 2 zones. Zonal winners were A.F.C. Leopards and Sofapaka, who gained promotion for the following season.
Coast Stars from Mombasa were relegated from the Premier League in 2007, but refused to join the Nationwide League. They were replaced by Malindi United. [4] Shalimar of Naivasha were to compete in Zone A and had already played some games before pulling out of the league. They were replaced by Kisumu Black Stars which joined when the league was halfway done. [5]
The President's Cup was renamed to the KFF Cup. The tournament was won by Gor Mahia, who beat Provincial League side Posta Rangers in the final. Apart from Gor Mahia, all other Premier League teams skipped the tournament due to high costs. [6]
The national team played in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and reached the 3rd qualifying round. The qualifiers also doubled as the 2010 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  | |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 11 | Advance to third round | — | 3–2 | 0–0 | 4–0 | |
| Kenya | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 10 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| Zimbabwe | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 6 | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | ||
| Namibia | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 6 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | — |
| May 31, 2008 | Namibia | 2 – 1 | Kenya | Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek |
| 16:00 UTC+1 | Risser  17'Khaiseb 89' | Report | Wanga 40' | Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Muhmed Ssegonga (Uganda) |
| June 7, 2008 | Kenya | 2 – 0 | Guinea | Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Oliech 3'50' | Report | Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Lambert Eyene (Cameroon) |
| June 14, 2008 | Kenya | 2 – 0 | Zimbabwe | Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Mariga 12' Oliech 85' | Report | Attendance: 27,500 Referee: Badara Diatta (Senegal) |
| June 22, 2008 | Zimbabwe | 0 – 0 | Kenya | Rufaro Stadium, Harare |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Attendance: 23,000 Referee: Alex Kotey (Ghana) |
| September 6, 2008 | Kenya | 1 – 0 | Namibia | Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Jamal 44' (pen.) | Report | Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Jean-Marie Hicuburundi (Burundi) |
| October 12, 2008 | Guinea | 3 – 2 | Kenya | Stade 28 Septembre, Conakry |
| 16:15 UTC+0 | Bangoura 32' Bah 61'Zayatte 71' | Report | Ouma 81' Opondo 90+3' | Attendance: 16,400 Referee: Eddy Maillet (Seychelles) |
Kenya took part in the 2008 CECAFA Cup, which continued into 2009 due to postponements. They reached the final but were beaten 1-0 by Uganda. Shortly after the end of the tournament, Francis Kimanzi was sacked as the head coach due to disagreements with the Kenya Football Federation. [8]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 |
 Burundi | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
 Sudan | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
 Zambia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
 Djibouti | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 1 |
| December 31, 2008 | Sudan | 0 - 0 | Kenya | Bugembe Stadium, Jinja |
There were no other matches played by Kenya in 2008.