Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has suspended referees Phanuel Omire, Samuel Kuria and Edwin Bobiya, following a decision by the Referees Committee, in conjunction with the Instructors’ Technical Group, the federation has now announced.
Making the revelations of Saturday via their website, the local football governing body said that it has taken disciplinary action against three match officials following a review of recent Kenya Premier League (KPL) fixtures.
"The decisions were reached during a virtual meeting held on April 30, 2026, after assessment of match footage, assessors’ reports, match commissioners’ observations, and technical evaluations concerning officiating performances," read part of the statement.
"Following the review, referees Phanuel Omire, Samuel Kuria, and Edwin Bobiya were found to have fallen short of the officiating standards expected at the SportPesa League level," FKF added.
The committee identified concerns relating to decision-making, application of the Laws of the Game, match management, concentration, teamwork, and coordination among match officials, and have therefore suspended Omire for three match rounds and demoted him to the FKF National Super League pending further technical assessment.
Kuria and Bobiya have each been suspended for two match rounds and demoted to the FKF National Super League.
"The affected officials will remain under close monitoring and evaluation by Match Commissioners, Assessors, and Instructors, with future assignments and possible reinstatement to top-tier matches dependent on demonstrated improvement and subsequent technical reviews," FKF continued.
After numerous public up roars from football fans from both Kenya's first tier and second tier football leagues, this decision by FKF to demote the named referees raises more questions than answers, taking into consideration that the previous regime did a lot in terms of trainings and refresher courses for the whistle blowers, now FKF continues to say that it remains committed to upholding high officiating standards, accountability, and continuous capacity development for match officials across all competitions.