AFC Leopards SC crest

AFC Leopards SC

Ingwe

League

FKF Premier League

Founded

1958

City

Nairobi

Status

Active

13×
League titles
Community Hub

Discuss Leopards on Afroduma

Debate tactics, transfer news, and relive historic Kenya football moments with AFC Leopards SC supporters.

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Founded
1958
Stadium
Nyayo National Stadium
Capacity
30,000
Manager
Fred Ambani
Chairman
Dan Mule
Titles
13
Main rival
Gor Mahia

About the club

AFC Leopards SC, nicknamed Ingwe, are Kenya's second-most decorated club and the Luhya community's footballing identity: 13 top-flight titles, two CECAFA Club Cups, and the other half of the Mashemeji Derby against Gor Mahia. Originally founded as Abaluhya United in 1958 and rebranded to AFC Leopards in 1980, Ingwe's community-ownership model and Luhya cultural roots make them one of the longest-running fan-owned football clubs anywhere in Africa.

Founded by Abaluhya United — a Luhya-community sports organisation; renamed to AFC Leopards in 1980.

"We Are AFC — Endelea Ku Achia"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
FKF Premier League / KPL 13 1998 None
Kenyan FA Cup / President's Cup 10 2013 None
CECAFA Club Cup 2 1983 Won 1982 and 1983 editions
CAF Champions League 0 — Semi-finalists 1966
CAF Confederation Cup 0 — Group-stage qualifiers 2013

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 1998 vs Tusker FC · 4 points
    Top scorer: Kennedy Odhiambo (9)
  • 1993 vs Kenya Breweries · 3 points
    Top scorer: Daniel Adongo (11)
  • 1989 vs Gor Mahia · 2 points
    Top scorer: Sammy Taabu (12)
  • 1982 vs Gor Mahia · 3 points
    Top scorer: Wilberforce Mulamba (14)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 1982
    Leopards 1–0 Gor Mahia (CECAFA Club Cup final)

    First CECAFA Club Cup — beat arch-rivals Gor Mahia in an all-Kenyan final.

  • 1983
    Leopards 2–1 Sim Bravo Yadda (CECAFA)

    Retained the CECAFA Club Cup — back-to-back East African champions.

  • 1998
    Leopards 2–1 Tusker FC

    Title-clinching final-day win — the last KPL title of the 20th century.

  • 2019
    Leopards 1–1 Gor Mahia

    Derby draw that hit the roof at Kasarani — 40,000+ attendance, one of the highest-ever for a Kenyan league match.

Club legends

W
Wilberforce Mulamba
1979–1991

Attacking forward nicknamed 'Maradona'; club all-time top scorer with 137 goals

J
John Makwatta
2019–2022

Modern-era striker — left for Botswana in 2022

stadium
Home ground

Nyayo National Stadium

Nairobi · 30,000 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
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Main rivalry

Mashemeji Derby

vs Gor Mahia

AFC Leopards vs Gor Mahia — the Mashemeji Derby — is the biggest football rivalry in East Africa. Luhya vs Luo in tribal-cultural terms; Ingwe vs K'Ogalo in footballing terms....

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many KPL titles has AFC Leopards won? add
AFC Leopards have won 13 Kenyan top-flight titles — the second-most in Kenyan football history behind Gor Mahia (21). Their most recent title is the 1998 KPL season, which means Leopards have not won the Kenyan top flight in the 21st century — a long-running frustration the club's modern leadership has been rebuilding around.
Where does AFC Leopards play? add
AFC Leopards play their home matches primarily at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, capacity 30,000. Bigger fixtures, especially Mashemeji Derbies, are staged at the 60,000-capacity Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.
Who owns AFC Leopards? add
AFC Leopards is community-owned — a members-and-fans model with an elected chairman (currently Dan Mule). The club is one of the oldest continuously-run community-owned sports institutions in East Africa. There is no single-owner private structure, a governance model Leopards share with Gor Mahia.
Why is AFC Leopards called Ingwe? add
'Ingwe' is Luhya for 'leopard' — a direct reference to the club name chosen in 1980 when Abaluhya United rebranded to AFC Leopards. The leopard is a prominent animal in Luhya cultural storytelling, and the blue-and-white colour scheme has been used by the club in various combinations since the 1960s.
What is the Mashemeji Derby? add
The Mashemeji Derby is AFC Leopards vs Gor Mahia — the biggest football fixture in East Africa, continuously contested since 1964. The rivalry is tribal-cultural (Luhya vs Luo) as much as it is footballing. Fixtures at Kasarani regularly draw 40,000+.
Has AFC Leopards won a CAF trophy? add
Not at continental CAF level. Leopards' closest CAF runs were a 1966 African Cup of Champions Clubs semi-final (when the club was still Abaluhya United) and a 2013 CAF Confederation Cup group-stage appearance. At regional East African level, however, Leopards won the CECAFA Club Cup in 1982 and 1983 — back-to-back — beating Gor Mahia in the 1982 final.
How much do AFC Leopards players earn? add
AFC Leopards player salaries are modest by African-continent standards — typically KES 70,000–220,000 per month (roughly US $550–1,700) for senior first-team regulars, with top earners above that. These are competitive for the KPL but below the PSL, NPFL and GPL. Many Leopards players therefore use the club as a stepping-stone to Tanzanian or North African clubs.

Related

Rival Gor Mahia (Mashemeji Derby) arrow_forward League FKF Premier League arrow_forward Country Football in Kenya arrow_forward

Last updated 2026-04-21 · written by Zuri Omondi.