Nicknamed Batoto ba Mungu, the struggling club confirmed the exit of Akwana following their 3-0 defeat to Gor Mahia in a top-flight fixture at Nyayo Stadium on Saturday, January 31, with assistant Abdalla Juma taking over on an interim basis.
During the fixture, first-half goals from Ebenezer Adukwaw, Sylvester Owino and Frank Odhiambo were enough to hand the record Kenyan champions their 12th victory, while condemning Sofapaka to their 11th defeat of the season.
Just like last season when they survived relegation by a whisker, Sofapaka are already facing the axe this campaign. They are currently languishing at the bottom of the 18-team league table with 14 points from 19 matches.
Winless in 11 matches
Sofapaka’s campaign has so far seen them win three matches, draw five, and lose 15. The team’s owner, Kalekwa, has told Flashscore in an exclusive interview that the performance under Akwana was not acceptable, hence the decision to crack the whip.
“We took the decision to sack Akwana because of results, nothing else,” Kalekwa told Flashscore. “It is unfortunate that the results are not positive, and unfortunate that we have not won from the last 11 matches.”
Kalekwa continued: “We felt a new bench could help turn around our fortunes. We want to win matches and lift ourselves from the bottom. It is a position that I don’t understand how we find ourselves in, considering the calibre of the squad we have.
“I have spent too much money to bring in quality players, but it doesn’t reflect with the performance, and our position on the log. So, we want to start a new chapter with a new bench, we want to make sure we win our matches.”
The last time Sofapaka won a league game was on November 10, 2025, when they defeated Posta Rangers 2-0. Since then, they have now gone 11 matches without a win.
The run started with a 2-0 defeat against Bandari, a 3-1 defeat against Ulinzi Stars, a 0-0 draw against promoted side APS Bomet, a 1-0 defeat against KCB, a 2-0 defeat against Tusker, a 1-0 defeat against Mathare United, and a 0-0 draw against Kariobangi Sharks.
After the Sharks game, Sofapaka managed a 1-1 draw against Bidco United, then travelled to Kisii where they lost 1-0 against Shabana, followed by a 1-0 defeat against AFC Leopards, and then the 3-0 defeat against Gor Mahia.
Asked whether he was worried about Sofapaka being relegated, Kalekwa said: “We have only played 19 matches so far, we can still save the situation if we start winning our matches, we have a number of matches to help change the situation for us.
“If you look at the table, the gap between the bottom teams is very small, so, if we manage to win the next four matches, then we will definitely be out of danger.”
He added: “Our desire when we started the season was to win the league, but now we are not in the position to achieve that. So, we probably have to do our best now and strive to move up the table. I have talked to the players, and they understand the task ahead of us.”
Kalekwa concluded: “We have to accept the mistakes that have happened; we didn’t start the season on a positive note. By doing so, we shift focus to the remaining matches and do our best to get positive results.”
Sofapaka’s next five matches will start against Mara Sugar on February 14, before they host Murang’a Seal, take on champions Kenya Police FC, travel to face Kakamega Homeboyz, battle against Nairobi United, and face Bidco United.
