Ulinzi Stars FC alias KDF is a football club headed by the Kenya Defence Forces competing in Kenya Premier League. The club was founded in 1995 following a merger of several military clubs.
Initially military had six teams based in different military camps. Some of these teams included Kahawa United based in Kahawa Barracks, Silver Strikers based in 12th Engineers, Thika, Kenya Navy in Mombasa, Spitfire Kenya Airforce, Moi Air Base in Nairobi, Scarlet based in Third Battalion of the Kenya Rifles in Lanet Nakuru and Waterwork.
However, out of the six teams only three, Scarlet, Kahawa, and Waterworks made the most appearances in leagues as well as competitions.
Ulinzi Stars Home Ground
After the merger of all military teams to form Ulinzi, the management took the Thika Stadium as their home ground until 2004. In 2004, they hunted for a bigger stadium where they settled in Afuraha stadium in Nakuru County.
The Stadium was founded in 1948 and it can hold a capacity of 82,00 which is much better compared to Thika Stadium which can withstand a capacity of below five thousand.
The facility is maintained by the Nakuru County council and they have been doing a great job in upgrading the facility to a world standard.
When it comes to home uniforms the KDFs are known for settling with a Red jersey branded KDF.
Ulinzi Stars FC Leadership, Coach, and Captain
The team is under full military management though much is not known about the full list of the officials heading the club. In terms of players’ affairs in the field, Benjamin Nyangweso is the team boss serving as the coach.
In case of deployment away from the team, Stephen Ocholla takes the helm. The soldier has been heading the team since 2010.
James Saruni, one of the best goalkeepers in the country leads the club as the captain. Saruni has been selected severally to represent Kenya’s Senior team in numerous competitions. He took the rudder in 2018 and his leadership has been siring fruits for the team.
Achievements
After the formation of the club in 1995, the club began dominating the Kenya Premier League in the early 2000s. During this stint, the team managed to put one of the strongest squads that carried the league three times back to back from 2003, 2004, and 2005 placing their team on Kenya’s Premier League map.
After the 2005 win, the drought hit then again for five years until 2010 when they won their last league title. The following year they finished the league as a runner-up and went on to win the inaugural KPL top 8 cups after pounding Western Stima.
In 2010 they were awarded the Kenyan Sports Team of the Year award. Being the only military team, it also represents the military in the world’s military competition, where they qualified in the 2011 Military World Games.
List of Players in Ulinzi Stars, Position, Age, and Salaries.
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