- Gor Mahia FC and Tusker FC are the only Kenyan clubs that have featured in a CAF club tournament finals.
- Gor Mahia has played in the final of an African tournament twice and it is the only Kenyan club to have tasted glory.
- No Kenyan club has played in the final of CAF club competitions in the 21st century.
Kenyan football clubs have struggled to impress in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) club competitions in recent years.
While the Kenyan football sector boasts of passionate supporters and a pool of gifted players, achieving success at the continental level continues to be a difficult task.
The superior financial muscle from the North African and South African clubs as well as mismanagement have hindered the progress of Kenyan sides.
However, some of the clubs have managed to overcome these challenges and reached the final of CAF club competitions in the past.
Gor Mahia FC
Gor Mahia, one of the most successful clubs in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL), has made it to the final of the CAF club competitions on two occasions so far.
The club, which occupies the third position at the moment in the FKFPL standings, played in the final of the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1979.
K’Ogalo, as they are popularly known in East Africa, were hammered 8-0 on aggregate by Cameroonian side Canon Yaoundé in that memorable encounter.
It took nearly a decade for the Kenyan club to play in the final of an African tournament again after that humiliation.
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This time round, Gor Mahia who had talented players such as George Odhiambo Nyangi and Sammy Onyango, overcome Tunisian side Espérance Sportive de Tunis on away goals rule to clinch the 1987 African Cup Winners’ Cup and become the only Kenyan side to taste continental glory. The match ended 3-3 on aggregate.
Tusker FC
Besides Gor Mahia, the only other Kenyan side that has played in a CAF continental cup final is Tusker FC, formerly Kenya Breweries.
Tusker qualified for the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994 where they played against Daring Club Motema Pembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Henry Motego and Patrick Nachok were on the score sheet for Tusker FC in the first leg that was staged in Kinshasa to ensure the match ended 2-2.
However, Tusker’s 3-0 defeat in the return leg that took place in Kenya, ensured the Congolese side secured a 5-2 aggregate win and lifted the prestigious trophy.
Finally, readers should note that the African Cup Winners’ Cup no longer exists. The tournament merged with CAF Cup in 2004 to give birth to the CAF Confederation Cup and since then no Kenyan team has featured in the final.
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