The SportPesa League, formerly known as the FKF Premier League, kicks off Friday with KCB FC taking on Tusker FC at the Kasarani Stadium from 6:00 pm.

Excitement is building for the return of domestic football, but one aspect that continues to lag is club merchandising, a culture that thrives abroad but has yet to firmly take root in Kenya.

Unlike in major leagues such as the English Premier League, where fans proudly wear their team colours on matchdays, Kenyan stadiums are often dotted with neutral or even foreign club jerseys.

Addressing this issue, FKF President Hussein Mohammed emphasised the federation’s commitment to making club merchandise more accessible to local fans.

“Merchandising is a very big issue, and we are going to deal with it decisively. My request to everybody is to look out for the merchandise from your local club and support them,” Hussein responded to a question raised by The Eastleigh Voice.

He noted that the federation is working on creating a system and format that will make it easier for fans to purchase official merchandise, both for the national teams and for SportPesa League clubs.

According to him, this will not only boost fan identity but also expand revenue streams for individual clubs.

“Actually, there are some leagues in some countries where you cannot wear any other merchandise on matchday except for participating teams. Maybe sometimes we might need to look at practices around the world and see which ones we can adapt,” he added.

Hussein acknowledged that developing a merchandising culture in Kenyan football is still a work in progress, but stressed that the federation will continue taking steps to address the gaps.

As the new season begins, the challenge remains for clubs and the FKF to build a strong merchandise culture that will paint local stadiums in team colours just as fans across the world proudly do for their clubs.