The history of the club

A winning team, a role model, the pride of a slum

This great human adventure started some years ago...

Kibera Black Stars Football Club is located in the famous slum of Kibera in Nairobi. It was initiated in 1987. It was formally registered as a sport association in 1998. Initially, it was a team which only participated in local tournaments during school holidays so as to keep the youth busy during the vacation period..

A success story is about to become true..

Later, Kibera Black Stars was formally registered to play in the FKF LEAGUE in 2009 and since then, they have managed to have a steady rise. They managed to reach the top of the Nairobi level = the Nairobi Regional League

The team stayed some years at this level, lacking means and maybe ambitions, everybody busy looking for the daily bread...

In 2014, a French guy, Luc Lagouche, teacher at the French school of Nairobi, came to Kibera with the idea of helping people here. In the past, he managed to raise a small football club in Nigeria up to the top of the local football, the Nigerian Premiere League. Why not do the same here in Kenya? He decided to involve himself into the KIbera Black Stars. He restructured the club, bring better sport kits, and put the players on the way to professionalisation, by giving the players training allowances and match bonuses for example..

The players are still playing football by passion but now they can bring something home...

A new goal is set = the Kenyan Premiere league !!!

At the end of 2014, the Black Stars topped their group in the Nairobi Provincial League, the highest level in Nairobi County for the 1st time of the history of the club.

We are now the only team of the entire area to play in Nationwide level. We are proud to have become THE BEST FOOTBALL TEAM in all KIBERA…

Our players were champions of the National 2 and were promoted to the National Division 1 at the end of 2015 season.

The success was here again that year: 1st place and promotion into the National Super League = second tier at the end of 2016.

3 promotions in 3 years = a great record in Kenya !!!

For the first time at this level, our players did well too. After a difficult start, they were able to do as well as older, more experienced and far better paid opponents. We finished 10 out of 19 in the standings. We are the best among the promoted teams. Not bad at all for a first participation in NSL.

In 2018, The Black stars had a wonderful start of the competition, staying in the top 5 in the entire first leg. What a great achievement among bigger clubs!!! Then things started to be more complicated with delays in releasing funds from some of our sponsors. The results declined. We can’t obtain 100% from our players when the money is small and the problems at home so big! We finally managed to finish number 11 at the end of the season = not bad regarding the situation...

In 2018/20 short season, things got even worst. The team struggled all along after the departure of our key players attracted in greener pastures and the troubles caused by some fans who forced our head coach to resign. Hopefully, the team managed to escape relegation. Why this crisis?

The club may have risen too quickly. Many things have not followed the same pace. We really needed to improve our facilities (better training field and a real office for example), put more competent heads on board (after organizing proper registration of members and elections), widen and strengthen the fan base (in all Kibera and not only some parts of Kianda village), and mostly get more resources and more partners (to increase the welfare and keep our best young players for longer time) etc...

In the season 2019 /20 season, things were not easy as well. Our football level was not so high and the results were not so good. Then the COVID-19 crisis stopped the league at the beginning of the 2nd leg. Players faced trying times. Hopefully, some solidarity actions were organised to reduce the pains.

In September 2020, we started a nice preseason with better players and brighter morale. A new Board was elected and fans are happy again. The house was finally in order. We finished at the top 8, our best performances so far. After 2 difficult seasons, the Black Stars are back with new ambitions! Yes, we can!

The seasons 2021.22 was interesting too as we were good contenders for the promotion during most of the league. We just missed it at the end.

The 2022.23 season was also very good (number 2 on the standings, yes we can!) till February 2023. Then a bad management crisis affected the performances of the team. What a pity because there was a great potential on the pitch this year again. Hopefully, the crisis is now behind us and interesting changes in the governance were made to put the house in better order.

In September 2023, we will start our 8th season in NSL with the same great ambitions.

Despite our numerous challenges, we don’t forget our great goal = The Kenyan Premiere League !!!

Our club are is more and more exposed in the media:

- The most famous sport magazine in France “L’Equipe Magazine” made a 10 pages documentary about the KBS / Slum Soka on April 4th 2015. Another page at the end of 2016.

- The international and local media follow this promising team. We can see regular documentaries on TV (Citizen TV, Ebru, France 2, TV5 Monde, Globo TV in Brazil), on radio (Europe 1, RTBF, Pamoja), in newpapers (Nation, Standard, Star, in Kenya + Le point, La Voix Du Nord, La Cité, Le Monde Diplomatique in Europe) and on many internet websites...

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Published online by Kibera Black Stars
 10/11/2014
 http://www.kiberablackstars.org/?the-history-of-the-club.html