AFC Leopards Handed New Blow in FKF Premier League Title Push

FKF Premier League leaders AFC Leopards have been dealt a significant blow with the confirmation that striker Elias Mugane will miss the remainder of the 2025-2026 season due to a severe knee injury.

The club announced on Thursday that the forward, who arrived at Ingwe in September, underwent surgery after tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) during a training session in November. The operation took place on December 9, officially ending his debut campaign in the top flight.

Mugane, who was the top scorer in last season's National Super League (NSL) with Fortune Sacco, suffered a complete ACL rupture, a Grade Three tear of the medial meniscus, and a partial tear of the Lateral Collateral Ligament Complex.

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This injury compounds a challenging start to his career at the Den, where he had yet to find his scoring form.

“The team has reported back to training in preparation for the match,” AFC Leopards said in a post on Facebook.

“We have a few injury concerns as we head into the fixture. Our centre forward, Elias Mugane, had a complete Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture and partial tear of the Lateral Collateral Ligament Complex.

“A grade 3 tear of the medial meniscus. He underwent surgery on 9th December and will be out for the remainder of the season.”

In other team news, AFC Leopards also confirmed that left-back Vincent Mahiga will be unavailable for their upcoming match against Kakamega Homeboyz on Sunday, January 4.

Mahiga is nursing an ankle injury sustained during the league fixture against Kariobangi Sharks on November 23 and is awaiting further assessment.

“Our left back Vincent Mahiga is also out, awaiting further medical checks after suffering an ankle injury in our FKF-PL match against Kariobangi Sharks at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani,” the post added.  

However, there was positive news for the league leaders as defender Fredrick Alushula is set to make a timely return. The right-back has resumed full training after a long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Alushula had been ruled out since June with a grade two tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus, an injury he picked up during an FKF Cup match against Mara Sugar last March.

As they prepare for their first match of 2026 at Nyayo Stadium, Leopards sit at the top of the league table with 24 points from 13 games, having suffered only one defeat this season.