Nairobi City Stars
| File:Nairobi City Stars logo.png | |||
| Full name | Nairobi City Stars | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Simba wa Nairobi | ||
| Founded | 2003 | ||
| Ground | Hope Centre, Kawangware, Kenya | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Owner | Jonathan Jackson Foundation | ||
| Chairman | Kenya Jonathan Jackson | ||
| Head coach | Salim Babu | ||
| League | Kenyan Premier League | ||
| 2023–24 | 6th | ||
| Website | nairobicitystarsfc | ||
|
| |||
Nairobi City Stars is a professional football club based in Nairobi, Kenya that currently competes in the first tier Kenyan Premier League.
History
[edit | edit source]The club was founded in 2003 as World Hope Football Club after a majority of players followed head coach Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno from relegated Kawangware United. The club was formed and owned by World Hope International, a charitable organization.
After one season in the Nationwide League, World Hope was promoted to the Kenyan Premier League.
In October 2008, the club was bought by Ambassadors in Sport (AIS Kenya),[1] who renamed the club to Nairobi City Stars FC after the 2008 season.[2]
After the take over Nairobi City Stars was initially coached by German manager Oliver Page, a former Bundesliga player.[3] He resigned from the post-half-season in June 2009 despite good results, citing personal issues[4]
After a short while under the new owners, the team reverted to Peter Jabuya who would struggle with the team till March 2019 when the club was fully acquired by Jonathan Jackson Foundation, a community-focused setup named after its founder Jonathan Jackson who is a real estate mogul in Kenya and in Europe.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Upon the change of hands the new owners hired online journalist Patrick Korir as the CEO to streamline the club's operations.[11] And in July 2019 the club went searching for a foreign coach and hired Sarajevo-born Sanjin Alagić, a UEFA Pro licensed coach from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He led the team to the 2019/20 Kenyan National Super League title and automatic promotion back to the Kenyan Premier League[12][13][14] after four seasons out.
Alagić exited at the expiry of his contract at the end of June 2021. From September of the same year Nicholas Muyoti was appointed the new coach on a three-year deal.[15][16][17][18][19]
Honors
[edit | edit source]- Kenya Nationwide League
- Champions (1): 2003–04
- FKF President's Cup
- Champions (1): 2005
- Kenyan National Super League
- Champions (1): 2019–20
Performance in CAF competitions
[edit | edit source]- CAF Confederation Cup: 1 appearance
- 2006 – Preliminary Round
Current squad
[edit | edit source]- As of 30 Jan 2025.[20]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Club officials
[edit | edit source]Management
[edit | edit source]| Chairman | Kenya Jonathan Jackson |
| Chief Executive | Kenya Patrick Korir |
| Team Coordinator | Kenya Samson Otieno |
Technical Bench
[edit | edit source]| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Kenya Salim Babu |
| Assistant coach | Kenya Peter Opiyo[21] |
| Assistant coach & Game Analyst | Kenya Patrick Gitagia |
| Goalkeeper coach | Kenya Abel Omuhaya |
| Team Manager | Kenya Ronnie Kagunzi |
| Security Officer & Trainer | Kenya Arthur Museve |
| Physio | Kenya Brian Otieno Odongo |
| Kit Manager | Kenya Dominic Mutiso |
Past coaches
[edit | edit source]- Kenya Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno (Sep 2003-Nov 2004)
- Kenya Robert Matano (Nov 2004 - Nov 2007)
- Kenya John “Bobby” Ogolla (Jan-Nov 2008)
- Error creating thumbnail: Oliver Pagé (Nov 2008-May 2009)
- Kenya Kennedy Odhiambo (May 2009-Aug 2011)
- Kenya Gideon Ochieng (Aug 2011-Sep 2012)
- The Gambia Bai Malleh Wadda (Sep 2012-June 2013)
- Kenya Charles Omondi (June-Sep 2013)
Jan Koops (Sep 2013-Jan 2014)- Nigeria Robinson Ndubuisi (Jan-Apr 2014)
- England Tim Bryett (Apr-Jul 2014)
- Nigeria Robinson Ndubuisi (Jul-Dec 2014)
- Uganda Paul Nkata (Jan-June 2015)
- Kenya Gabriel Njoroge (Jul-Sep 2015)
- Kenya Dennis Okoth (Sep-Dec 2015)
- Kenya John “Bobby” Ogolla (Jan-June 2016)
- Uganda Richard Pinto Tamale (Jul-Dec 2016)
- Kenya Robert Matano (Jan-May 2017)
- Uganda Abdul-Samadu Musafiri (Jul-Dec 2017)
- Kenya John Amboko (Jan-Dec 2018)
- Uganda Jimmy Kintu (Jan-Apr 2019)
- Kenya John Amboko (Apr-Jun 2019)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina Sanjin Alagić (July 2019 - June 2021)
- Kenya John Amboko (Jul-Aug 2019)
- Kenya Nicholas Muyoti (Sept 2021-Jan 2025)
- Kenya Salim Babu (Jan 2025 - to date)
Notable past players
[edit | edit source]- Kenya Victor Wanyama
- Kenya John Mark Makwatta
- Uganda Dan Sserunkuma
- Kenya James Situma
- Kenya Pascal Ochieng
- Kenya Kennedy Odhiambo
- Kenya Thomas Wanyama
- Kenya George Odhiambo
- Kenya Harrison Muranda
- Kenya Collins Tiego
- Kenya Levy Muaka
- Kenya Wesley Onguso
- Uganda George Abege
- Kenya Francis Thairu
- Kenya George Midenyo
- Kenya George Odary
- Kenya Victor Ochieng
- Kenya Erick Ochieng
- Kenya Paul Okatwa
- Uganda Lawrence Kasadha
- Kenya Justus Basweti
- Kenya Kevin Ochieng
- Kenya Noah Abich
- Kenya Edward Karanja
Top scorers per season
[edit | edit source]Top scorers per season. * Award shared during that season
| Year | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| *2004-5 | Kenya Collins Tiego | 5 |
| Kenya Justus Basweti | 5 | |
| 2005-6 | Kenya Samuel Ouma | 13 |
| 2006-7 | Kenya Justus Basweti | 6 |
| 2008 | Kenya Arthur Museve | 7 |
| 2009 | Kenya Arthur Museve | 10 |
| 2010 | Kenya Francis Thairu | 5 |
| 2011 | Uganda Dan Sserunkuma | 7 |
| 2012 | Uganda Dan Sserunkuma | 5 |
| 2013 | Uganda Jimmy Bageya | 4 |
| *2014 | Kenya Dennis Okoth | 3 |
| Uganda George Abege | 3 | |
| Uganda Lawrence Kasadha | 3 | |
| 2015 | The Gambia Ebrimah Sanneh | 11 |
| 2016 | Kenya Ezekiel Odera | 4 |
| 2017 | Kenya Ezekiel Odera | 11 |
| 2018 | Uganda Sande Katumba | 10 |
| 2018–19 | Kenya Noah Abich | 8 |
| 2019–20 | The Gambia Ebrimah Sanneh | 8 |
| 2020–21 | Kenya Peter Opiyo | 8 |
| 2021–22 | Kenya Ezekiel Odera | 10 |
| 2022–23 | Kenya Kelvin Etemesi | 12 |
| 2023–24 | Kenya Vincent Owino | 8 |
| 2024–25 | Kenya Vincent Owino | 5 |
All time top scorers
[edit | edit source]A list of all-time Nairobi City Stars goal scorers. For players who have scored 12 or more goals.
- As of 22 June 2025
| # | Player | Goals |
| 1 | Kenya Ezekiel Odera | 37 |
| 2 | Kenya Justus Basweti | 35 |
| 3 | Kenya Francis Thairu | 34 |
| 4 | The Gambia Ebrimah Sanneh | 32 |
| 5 | Kenya Arthur Museve | 31 |
| 6 | Uganda Jimmy Bageya | 29 |
| 7 | Kenya Davis Agesa | 20 |
| 8 | Kenya Kelvin Etemesi | 19* |
| 9 | Kenya Anthony Kimani | 17 |
| 10 | Kenya Vincent Owino | 16* |
| 11 | Uganda Sande Katumba | 15 |
| 12 | Kenya Samuel Ouma | 14 |
| 13 | Kenya Peter Opiyo | 13 |
| 14 | Uganda Dan Sserunkuma | 12 |
| 14 | Kenya Robert Ndung'u | 12 |
* Still active
Records
[edit | edit source]| Type | Nat | Name | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Premier League appearances (City Stars) | Kenya | John Amboko | 221 [2] |
| Most Premier League appearances (overall) | Kenya | Anthony Kimani | 284[22] |
| Most Premier League goals | Kenya | Justus Basweti | 27 |
| Most Super League goals | Kenya | Davis Agesa | 17[23] |
| Overall top scorer | Kenya | Ezekiel Odera | 37 |
| Most capped player | Kenya | James Situma | 43 |
| Most league goals in a Premier League season | Kenya | Samuel Ouma | 13 |
| Most goals in a Super League season | Kenya | Ezekiel Odera | 11 |
| Longest unbeaten Super League run | Kenya | 2018/19-2019/20 NSL | 22 [24] |
| Record premier league win run | Kenya | 2023–24 FKF PL | 7[25] |
| Record victory | Kenya | vs Vihiga Bullets[26][27] vs Kisumu Telkom vs Congo United[28] |
4-0 |
| Record defeat | Kenya | vs Sofapaka F.C.[29] vs Kakamega Homeboyz[30] |
5-0 |
Premier League records
[edit | edit source]| Season | Pos | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | CS | Pts! | ||
| 2004–05 | 8 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 23 | -1 | 7 | 28 |
| 2005–06 | 7 | 38 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 43 | 41 | 2 | 16 | 55 |
| 2006–07 | 8 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 11 | 42 |
| 2008 | 7 | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 31 | -6 | 10 | 40 |
| 2009 | 6 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 30 | 29 | 1 | 10 | 43 |
| 2010 | 11 | 30 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 25 | 34 | -9 | 8 | 34 |
| 2011 | 14 | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 35 | -7 | 9 | 31 |
| 2012 | 13 | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 32 | -6 | 14 | 29 |
| 2013 | 9 | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 24 | 36 | -12 | 9 | 32 |
| 2014 | 15 | 30 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 35 | -17 | 8 | 24 |
| 2015 | 14[31] | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 25 | 37 | -12 | 7 | 28 |
| 2016 | 16[32] | 30 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 39 | -22 | 7 | 19 |
| 2020-21 | 7 | 32 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 34 | 30 | 4 | 11 | 45 |
| 2021-22 | 5 | 33 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 45 | 34 | 11 | 14 | 52 |
| 2022–23 | 15 | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 49 | -12 | 8 | 34 |
| 2023–24 | 6 | 34 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 42 | 39 | 3 | 12 | 50 |
| 2024–25 | 18 | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 41 | -15 | 7 | 35 |
| Total | 527 | 150 | 171 | 207 | 488 | 591 | -103 | 168 | 621 | |
CS - Clean Sheet
Second tier League records
[edit | edit source]| Season | Pos | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | CS | Pts | ||
| 2003-04 | CHAMPIONS | |||||||||
| 2017 | 7 | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 45 | 42 | 3 | 11 | 48 |
| 2018 | 7 | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 41 | 39 | 2 | 10 | 52 |
| 2018-19 | 14 | 38 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 47 | 60 | -13 | 3 | 39 |
| 2019-20 | CHAMPIONS | 26 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 18 | 22 | 14 | 64 |
| Total | 136 | 54 | 41 | 41 | 173 | 159 | 14 | 37 | 203 | |
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ AIS, May 25, 2009: Nairobi City Stars Appoints new Head Coach Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Daily Nation, October 16, 2008: New owners take over World Hope FC Archived 2020-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Daily Nation, November 20, 2008: City Stars unveil new German coach Archived 2020-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kenyafootball, May 25, 2009: Nairobi City Stars Appoints new Head Coach Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Standard, June 14, 2019: Jackson: Why we bought Nairobi City Stars squad Archived 2023-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Goal, May 1, 2019: Nairobi City Stars confirm takeover by Jonathan Jackson Foundation Archived 2019-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Citizen, May 1, 2019: City Stars has new owner; purchase coming after long financial struggles Archived 2019-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Futaa, June 13, 2019: Former KPL heavyweight owners make a vow ahead of new season Archived 2019-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Michezo Afrika, May 1, 2019: Hope as Nairobi City Stars gets new owner Archived 2019-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Daily Active Kenya, May 1, 2019: Just like Wazito, City Stars gets a new owner who will blow their problems away Archived 2019-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ SportPesa News, May 1, 2019: Seasoned Local Football Journalist Korir In New City Stars Management Team Archived 2019-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nairobi News, May 1, 2020: City Stars raring to go with promotion to KPL Archived 2021-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Futaa, May 7, 2020: Nairobi City Stars coach Sanjin delighted after promotion to KPL Archived 2022-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Soka, April 30, 2020: OFFICIAL: GOR MAHIA ARE KPL CHAMPS; CITY STARS PROMOTED Archived 2021-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nairobi City Stars, Sept 17, 2021: [1] Archived 2021-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Futaa, Sept 17, 2021: Nicholas Muyoti joins Nairobi City Stars Archived 2021-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Standard, Sept 17, 2021: Former KK Homeboyz coach Muyoti joins Nairobi City Stars Archived 2021-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Star, Sept 18, 2021: Muyoti joins City Stars, ready for a new challenge Archived 2022-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MichezoAfrika, Sept 17, 2021: Muyoti unveiled as new City Stars Head Coach Archived 2021-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Nation, 2 Apr 2023 Ex-Harambee Stars midfielder Opiyo begins coaching journey Archived 2023-06-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Star, 27 Jun 2023 Nairobi City Stars skipper Kimani retires after 17 years
- ^ Goal, 21 Sep 2020 Nairobi City Stars' NSL top scorer Agesa ready for KPL return
- ^ Nation, 16 Dec 2019 Nairobi City Stars suffer first NSL defeat
- ^ Nation, 21 Jan 2024 Leopards derail City Stars' title charge, Police down Nzoia
- ^ The Standard 6 Nov 2021, Nairobi City Stars thrash Vihiga to close gap on K’Ogalo
- ^ 6 Nov 2021 Four Different Scorers for Nairobi City Stars as They Maul Vihiga Bullets
- ^ Michezoafrika 22 Oct 201, City Stars demolish Congo as relegation battle heats up
- ^ Futaa 7 Aug 2016 Sofapaka 5 City Stars 0
- ^ Michezo Afrika, 14 Feb 2025 Shumah Shines as Homeboyz Humiliate City Stars 5-0
- ^ The Standard, 2 Nov 2015 City Stars survives the chop Archived 2022-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Capital FM 31 Oct 2016 City Stars relegated after falling to Homeboyz Archived 2023-08-28 at the Wayback Machine