This is the story of Kenya Police FC coaching changes and upcoming matches, a week that began with a hurried unveiling, delivered a narrow but telling win over Sofapaka, and now points toward a statement game against Gor Mahia at Nyayo National Stadium.
In football, new eras often start with a handshake and a promise. For Kenya Police FC, the handshake came on Sunday at the Police Sacco Stadium, minutes after a goalless draw with Posta Rangers, and the promise arrived with Serbian coach Dusan Stojanovic. He replaced Etienne Ndayiragije, who departed on October 29 after guiding the club to their maiden top flight title, a reign that ended shortly after a 4-1 aggregate exit to Al Hilal in the CAF Champions League.
The first audition was quick and unforgiving. Sofapaka arrived with confidence, fresh from a 3-0 win over Nairobi United, and a history of tight contests with the champions. Yet a single moment from Edward Omondi, the former Batoto ba Mungu forward now in Police colors, settled the contest 1-0 at the Police Sacco Grounds. For Stojanovic, it was a curtain-raiser that spoke more to control and pragmatism than fireworks.
Sofapaka coach Ezekiel Akwana left the ground ruing what he saw as poor officiating. He lamented decisions he felt disadvantaged his team, citing a hesitant approach to cautions for the hosts. The final record told its own story, with Kenya Police picking up three yellow cards and Sofapaka two. Akwana also pointed to fatigue after three matches in nine days, and an early injury to skipper Victor Okello. The defeat left Sofapaka ninth with eight points after seven matches, a reminder of the fine margins that shape the early season table.
For Police, the victory added another layer to a defensive record that has become quietly imposing. The champions secured a fourth consecutive clean sheet, a foundation any coach craves when trying to install new ideas on the fly. Stojanovic applauded the attitude, calling himself a demanding coach and a boring winner, a label he wears with pride because it privileges performance as much as results.
There was method in his approach. Police began brightly, controlled possession, then turned pragmatic in the second half to ice the game. It was not flashy, but it was decisive. That balance will be tested again on Sunday when Gor Mahia arrive. Stojanovic has kept the temperature low, repeating that every game is only worth three points. Still, he also hinted that the coming FIFA international break will be invaluable for deeper work, time to analyze, organize, and align.
Across town, Charles Akonnor has been addressing a different challenge. The Gor Mahia boss was candid after a 1-1 draw with Ulinzi Stars at Kasarani, admitting his biggest worry is a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal. Gor have dominated large stretches of games but let chances slip. That blunt edge, more than tactics or fatigue, has cost them early points.
The story of Gor’s attack helps explain the transition. Last season’s feared trio is no more. Benson Omalla left for Visakha FC in Cambodia, Gideon Bendeka joined Kakamega Homeboyz, and a move for Ugandan striker Mohamed Shaban Jagason collapsed over a signing fee. In response, Gor dipped into Ghana, adding Ebenezer Adukwaw from Bechem United and George Amonno from Karela United, while Felix Oluoch has rotated through the front line. As combinations evolve, Ebenezer Adukwaw and others are learning each other’s movements in real time, something that will be tested against a Police side that rarely gifts space between the lines.
Akonnor’s reflection after the Ulinzi draw was measured. He noted that both teams had a midweek fixture, so freshness was not an excuse. He pointed instead to composure in the box and the need to turn chances into goals. There were plenty of positives, he said, especially in chance creation and defending, but the final touch remained elusive. Against Police, a team that has strung together clean sheets, that edge will be decisive.
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The champions enter the Nyayo test with quiet momentum. Their domestic start was delayed by continental commitments, having played only three league matches at first due to the CAF Champions League schedule in September and October. Their continental run ended in the second preliminary round against Al Hilal, 4-1 on aggregate, a result that sharpened focus on the league. The preview to the Sofapaka game framed their task as climbing out of the relegation places, a reminder of how early-season optics can mislead when fixtures pile up for some and not others.
Stojanovic’s profile carries weight in the region. At SC Villa in Uganda he ended a 20-year wait for a league title in 2024, a note that resonated when he spoke about his excitement for the project at Police. He has worked across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and while he admitted limited familiarity with Kenyan football beyond highlights from abroad, he set out a clear plan, hard work, a never-say-die attitude, and a commitment to improve finishing because, as he put it earlier this week, the foundation is solid but the team is lacking goals.
The human thread of this coaching change is impossible to miss. Police have been ambitious, sometimes impatient, since their promotion to the top flight. Including interim bosses, Stojanovic becomes the 10th coach to sit in the hot seat since 2021, with an average tenure of 197 days. Zdravko Logarusic lasted 82 days. Ndayiragije, who delivered the title, left after 333 days. It is a carousel that cuts both ways, a sign of standards that can inspire or suffocate depending on results and timing.
In that context, Stojanovic has struck a tone of calm. He praised the Kenyan weather and the warmth of the people, and reminded anyone who would listen that the derby atmosphere needs to be filtered through professional focus. Three points remain three points, he said, and after Gor Mahia, deeper tactical work awaits during the break.
There is also a fascinating narrative thread around identity. Police dethroned Gor Mahia to lift the title, and the new coach has hinted he wants to show supporters what his team, the real Silkal as he put it, truly looks like. It is playful but purposeful, the kind of language that signals conviction without slipping into hyperbole.
From a tactical perspective, a few elements stand out. First, Police have become more economical in possession, probing without overcommitting, then tightening the screws late. Second, Omondi’s movement off the shoulder offers an outlet against teams that sit in mid-blocks, as Sofapaka did once they fell behind. Third, the midfield has been tasked with recycling the ball quickly, a function of trusting the back line that has delivered those clean sheets.
For Gor Mahia, the task is about angles and speed of combination. With a new-look forward line still learning each other, the extra pass can become a trap. Akonnor’s training emphasis has been on composure and clarity, a first-time finish where a touch and a pause previously invited defenders back into the picture. If Gor convert early, they can tilt tempo to their liking. If not, Police’s structure can make the game feel very long.
Context sharpens the stakes. Police last lost to Gor Mahia more than two years ago, and they remain unbeaten in the league this season. Gor arrive with the aura of record champions and the burden to rediscover their cutting edge. The stage is familiar, but the subplots are fresh, a new coach on one bench, a rebuilt forward line on the other, and a fan base that expects quality to match ambition.
Match details matter too. The clash is set for Sunday 9 November at Nyayo National Stadium, with a 4 PM kick-off. Stojanovic has framed it as just another fixture. Akonnor has framed it as a chance to fix the final touch. Between those philosophies lies the truth of most big games, a handful of moments, usually in both boxes, where poise decides everything.
Reactions and what they reveal
It is always nice to win your first match. I am a demanding coach, a boring winner. For me it is not just about the result, but the performance, and this win belongs to the boys.
The words were simple, but the subtext was clear. Performances will matter as much as points under Stojanovic. That is how you build habits that survive heavy weather, and it is how you make sense of a season in which early fixtures and continental travel have scrambled rhythms. For a squad that has tasted the summit, that accountability can be invigorating.
We were not clinical enough. We created good chances, defended well, but did not turn opportunities into goals. We are working to improve that.
Akonnor’s candid assessment after the Ulinzi draw was not a scolding. It was a diagnosis. With new forwards bedding in and combinations still forming, finding an extra half-second of composure is not about a lecture, it is about repetition. The best strikers make decisions before the ball arrives. That is the rhythm Gor are chasing.
What to watch at Nyayo
- Police’s defensive spine, can they keep the distances tight between midfield and back line,
- Gor’s first big chance, if it goes in the tempo and confidence can change quickly,
- The Omondi factor, movement into the channels and timing of runs can pull markers apart.
Bigger picture for the champions
Police’s early weeks were defined by the continent. Their CAF Champions League adventure ended against Al Hilal, an experience that stung but also clarified priorities. Back home, with fixtures now steadying, the challenge is to turn clean sheets into control and control into goals. Stojanovic has admitted he is still learning Kenyan football, yet he has already located the essential levers, intensity, structure, and finishing.
The club’s leadership has been explicit about its ambitions, to remain champions and to push toward continental relevance again. That will demand patience and a stable hand from the board, and it will demand that the coach’s ideas take root quickly. Results like the Sofapaka win are not banners in themselves, they are the scaffolding around something that can grow.
If there is a single image that captures this moment, it is the quiet satisfaction on the touchline after Omondi’s winner, the relief of a debut victory, and the immediacy of the next task. Football never stops. The best teams learn while moving. Police are trying to do just that, while Gor Mahia, proud and restless, search for the sharpness that once made every attack feel inevitable.
Nyayo will carry the noise and color on Sunday, and behind it, the subtleties that define a season in the FKF Premier League. For Kenya Police, it is a chance to show their evolving identity. For Gor Mahia, it is a chance to prove that chance creation can again meet clinical finishing. Either way, the afternoon promises clarity, and perhaps, a glimpse of where this title race is headed.
As the whistle approaches, one detail lingers. Stojanovic said he enjoys Kenya’s weather and the warmth of its people. Those are gracious words, but in football, hospitality ends at kickoff. At Nyayo National Stadium, the welcome will be loud, the margins thin, and the lesson simple. In this league, as the coach keeps reminding, every game is worth three points, and those three points are everything.
