Safaricom’s Chapa Dimba Season Five officially kicked off on Saturday at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu amid escalating leadership wrangles within the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
The launch featured exhibition matches, including the highly anticipated youth “Mashemeji Derby” between Gor Mahia Youth and AFC Leopards Youth, as organisers unveiled another edition of the grassroots football tournament that has become one of Kenya’s biggest talent development platforms.
Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa and FKF President Hussein Mohammed were among officials expected to address players, coaches and fans during the event.
The tournament, operating under the “Cheza Kama Wewe” campaign theme, has since 2020 scouted and nurtured football talent from schools, estates and informal community leagues across the country.
Industry estimates indicate Safaricom has invested nearly KSh400 million into the competition since its inception, positioning the tournament as a major youth empowerment and sports development initiative.
However, the launch has exposed deepening divisions within FKF after Vice President McDonald Mariga and nine National Executive Committee (NEC) members protested the event in a letter addressed to Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa.
In the letter, the officials termed the launch “unconstitutional and procedurally irregular,” arguing that the partnership and rollout had not received approval from the federation’s NEC.
The protesting officials further linked the matter to the ongoing leadership crisis within FKF, which has seen internal disputes, tribunal proceedings and governance disagreements spill into public view in recent months.
The tensions revolve around a broader power struggle involving a suspended FKF president and a tribunal ruling that was temporarily halted, further complicating the federation’s leadership structure.
Despite the objections, organisers proceeded with the launch, insisting preparations for the nationwide youth tournament would continue as planned.
Sports stakeholders attending the event said the competition remains a critical avenue for identifying and nurturing emerging football stars, regardless of the federation’s internal politics.
“This tournament has transformed many young lives and created pathways for talent development across the country,” one coach attending the launch said.
Regional qualifiers are expected to begin in the coming weeks before culminating in national finals later in the year.
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