KCB FC's Bold Rebuild for 2026/27 Season
KCB FC are not tinkering. They are tearing up and rewriting.
After a flat 2025/26 season that yielded seventh place in the FKF Premier League and a fourth-place finish in the FKF Cup, the bankers have moved decisively, strengthening both the dugout and the dressing room in a clear statement of intent ahead of the 2026/27 SportPesa League campaign.
New brains on the bench
The technical bench has been given fresh edge and experience.
Assistant coach Peter Okidi Okoth arrives after parting ways with newly promoted Mombasa United, stepping into a role that will see him work directly alongside veteran head coach Robert Matano. On the specialist front, Bonface Olouch Otieno joins from champions Gor Mahia as the new goalkeeping coach, tasked with sharpening a department that too often failed to bail the team out last term.
Behind them, the club has continued to modernise its backroom. Last season’s appointment of Tobby Owino as video analyst remains a key piece of the puzzle, while strength and conditioning coach Samuel Macharia, who returned midway through the 2025/26 campaign, stays on to oversee the physical standards Matano demands.
The message is clear: no excuses, no shortcuts. Every detail counts.
Seven new faces, one clear identity
On the pitch, KCB have gone for targeted reinforcement rather than headline-chasing signings, stitching together a squad that mirrors Matano’s hard-edged philosophy.
Seven players have come through the door:
- Right-back Mark Oduor from Shabana FC
- Left-back Jim Owili from Mara Sugar
- Defensive midfielder Fidel Origa from Gor Mahia
- Attacking midfielder Brian Ouru from Mathare United
- Burundian winger Franck Nduwimana from Rwanda’s Gorilla
- Striker Assis Mambote from Shabana
- Central midfielder Geoffrey Ojunga from Bandari
It is a spine, not a scattergun spree. Two full-backs to stretch the pitch. Steel in front of the defence through Origa. Creativity and link play from Ouru and Ojunga. Width and direct running from Nduwimana. A focal point in Mambote.
Matano made it plain that none of this happened by chance. He stressed that KCB had been deliberate in identifying players who fit the way he wants to play and who bring the quality, discipline and mentality required at the club. For him, the reinforced technical bench is as important as the new signings, a platform to ensure the squad is better prepared for the demands of a long, unforgiving season.
Ambition from the top
Ambition at KCB is not just a buzzword thrown around in pre-season interviews; it is now baked into the recruitment drive.
Club patron Azu Ogola underlined that the latest additions reflect a determination to compete for honours, pointing to a consistent ambition to operate at the highest level and challenge for trophies. In his view, KCB have assembled a strong technical team and brought in players who share that vision.
As the new campaign approaches, Ogola has set the bar plainly: KCB must be competitive in every match and make their supporters proud through consistent performances.
No talk of transition. No hiding behind “rebuilding years.”
From frustration to expectation
Last season’s seventh-place league finish felt like a plateau for a club that has flirted with the upper reaches without quite breaking through. Fourth in the FKF Cup offered a hint of potential, but not enough to satisfy a group that sees itself as more than just solid.
So KCB have chosen the bolder route. A refreshed bench. A reshaped squad. A hardened mentality.
Now the question hangs over the coming months: with Matano at the helm and a new-look group around him, will this be the season the bankers finally turn careful planning into domestic silverware?
