Kenyan Premier League

The Kenyan Premier League is the top division of the Kenya Football Federation, it was created in 1963.

The Kenya Premier League was mostly stable until the late 1990s and since then its performance has not been even average. Until today many of the league clubs have little or no finances to support themselves.However since the coming in of cable TV Channel MultiChoice through its DSTV brand as the official league partner,the league has taken on a more serious role with teams becoming professional and the majority of the clubs managing to get shirt sponsorships.This has seen the level of competition improve compared to the past and the golden years of the league are not far off. The most successful clubs in the league are Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards who have both won the league title 12 times.

The league has its division two known as the Nationwide League (NWL) (also known as National Super League) and below it there are provincial and district tiers.

Origin
Following constant wrangles between the then football governing administration and the eventual deteriorating of the National football league, participating clubs opted out of the national football league and decided to form a company that would see the smooth running of the league in a professional and transparent manner.In 2003 KPL was created and registered as a limited liability company whose ownership was shared amongst all the sixteen participating top tier clubs and and was to be affiliated to KFF.

Corporate Structure
The Kenyan Premier League Ltd (KPL) is operated and run as private company incorporated in October 2003 under the Companies Act of Kenya. The KPL is fully owned and managed by the sixteen Premier League clubs with each club being a shareholder. The KPL is affiliated to the Football Kenya Limited (FKL), which is also a KPL shareholder and voting member of the KPL Board of Directors. Non-voting members include the Kenya Football Coaches Association (KEFOCA) and Kenya Football Referees Association (KEFORA).KPL is currently run by Jack Oguda as the company CEO and Frank Okoth who is in charge of logistics

Sponsorships
The improved level of competition and eventual attention given to the league by the fans has seen major companies in Kenya lining up to partner with these clubs. At the moment the league does not have a title sponsorship but it has a broadcast sponsorship deal with DSTV with Umbro being the official referee kit supplier and Mitre Sports International being the official balls provider. Individual clubs have signed deals with various companies

Previous winners
Winners were:


 * 1963 : Nakuru All-Stars (Nakuru)
 * 1964 : Luo Union (Nairobi)
 * 1965 : Feisal FC (Mombasa)
 * 1966 : Abaluhya FC (Nairobi)
 * 1967 : Abaluhya FC (Nairobi)
 * 1968 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1969 : Nakuru All-Stars (Nakuru)
 * 1970 : Abaluhya FC (Nairobi)
 * 1971 : Not played (*)
 * 1972 : Kenya Breweries (Nairobi)
 * 1973 : Abaluhya FC (Nairobi)
 * 1974 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1975 : Luo Union (Nairobi)
 * 1976 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1977 : Kenya Breweries (Nairobi)
 * 1978 : Kenya Breweries (Nairobi)


 * 1979 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1980 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1981 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1982 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1983 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1984 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1985 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1986 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1987 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1988 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1989 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1990 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1991 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1992 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1993 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1994 : Kenya Breweries (Nairobi)


 * 1995 : Gor Mahia (Nairobi)
 * 1996 : Kenya Breweries (Nairobi)
 * 1997 : Utalii (Ruaraka)
 * 1998 : AFC Leopards (Nairobi)
 * 1999 : Tusker FC (Nairobi)
 * 2000 : Tusker FC (Nairobi)
 * 2001 : Oserian Fastac FC (Naivasha)
 * 2002 : Oserian Fastac FC (Naivasha)
 * 2003 : Ulinzi Stars (Nakuru)
 * 2004 : Ulinzi Stars (Nakuru)
 * 2005 : Ulinzi Stars (Nakuru)
 * 2006 : SoNy Sugar (Awendo)
 * 2007 : Tusker FC (Nairobi)
 * 2008 : Mathare United (Nairobi)
 * 2009 : Sofapaka (Nairobi)
 * 2010 : Ulinzi Stars (Nakuru)

(*): The 1971 season is not officially recognised, but according to various sources Abaluhya FC won the league