Nairobi City Stars stands among the hardworking teams based in the capital city. Speaking of diversity, the team has extended its search for young and talented players from different locations around the city. Unlike community-founded clubs where most players are of the same ethnicity, Nairobi City Stars hasn’t taken that approach and it has brought everyone on board. Having proved its worth, we take our time to dig deeper into some of the interesting facts about the City Stars, we unveil the owner of the club, home ground, head coach, management, and much more.
Nairobi City Stars History
The Nairobi City Stars is a professional football club competing in Kenya’s top-tier league, the Kenya Premier League. The Nairobi-based club was founded in 2001 as Kawangware United, based in the Kawangware region, Nairobi.
In 2003, the team was smacked with a relegation, which marked the end of the Kawangware United. After the relegation, most of the players followed the then coach Zedekiah Zico Otieno who left the club after an unsuccessful stint.
The coach joined World Hope International, a charitable organization, and founded World Hope Football Club. The club went all the way and managed to join the Nationwide League where they played for one season before being promoted to the top-flight league.
Five years later the club’s management changed as the club was bought by Ambassador in Sports (AIS). Following the transition of management, the club was restructured and rebranded, from World Hope Football Club to Nairobi City Star FC.
The transition happened in October 2008 but the rebranding took place after the completion of the 2008 season. Following the takeover, the club was handed over to a German coach, Oliver Page who once played for Bundesliga.
However, Page never completed the 2009 season as he stepped down from his position despite good performance. According to him, he stepped down due to personal reasons but he was glad for the time he served with the City Stars.
After his resignation, Peter Jabuya took the helm and headed the team for 10 years from 2009 to 2019. In 2019, the club switched to new management under Jonathan Jackson Foundation, a community-based organization founded by Jonathan Jackson, a real estate mogul in Kenya and Europe.
Jonathan Jackson Foundation opted to hire a foreign coach going all the way to Bosnia and hired Sarajevo-born Sanjin Alagic, a UEFA-licensed coach. The new coach led the club through the 2020/21 National Super League title and automatically earned promotion back to the Kenya Premier League after being relegated four seasons ago.
Nairobi City Stars Owners and Management.
The club is owned by Jonathan Jackson Foundation, the club has had a string of owners but currently, the real estate guru still holds the full ownership of the club. Patrick Korir, an online journalist double-up as the club CEO.
Nairobi City Stars Head Coach
Tactician Nicholas Muyoti is the man behind the City Stars’ success. Muyoti is a former footballer who once played for Sporting Afrique F.C.as a midfielder. The veteran tactician is considered one of the best football coaches in Kenya and has had successful stints at Kakamega Homeboyz and AFC Leopards. He took over the coaching responsibilities from Sanjin Alagic in 2021.
Achievements and Trophies
Despite being one of the best teams, the club has also encountered its fair share of rough times as well as good times. In 2019, the club dropped to relegation after an unsuccessful season.
Following a new coach in the 2020/21 season, the club managed to work its way up taking the 2020 National Super League Championship title for the first time and earning its top league spot back.
Apart from the 2020 National Super League title, City Stars have also won the 2005 President’s Cup (Sportpesa Shield Cup).
Home Ground
The club has been holding its visitors at the World Hope center since its formation in 2003.
Nairobi City Stars Net Worth
Currently, the club’s net worth is estimated to be around Ksh 22.7 million, earning a spot in the list of one of the richest teams in Kenya.