KCB FC Rebuild: Matano's Ambitious Plans for 2026/27
KCB FC are not tinkering. They are tearing up and starting again.
After a flat 2025/26 campaign that yielded seventh place in the FKF Premier League and a fourth-place finish in the FKF Cup, the bankers have moved aggressively in the market, reshaping both the dugout and the dressing room ahead of the 2026/27 SportPesa League season.
New brains on the bench
The first statement came on the technical bench.
Peter Okidi Okoth arrives as assistant coach after leaving newly promoted Mombasa United, a move that gives head coach Robert Matano an experienced lieutenant as he chases a sharper, more ruthless KCB. Alongside him, Bonface Olouch Otieno comes in from Gor Mahia to take over as goalkeeping coach, tasked with tightening a department that too often wobbled when it mattered last season.
The backroom revamp had already begun. Last term, KCB brought in Tobby Owino as video analyst, a sign of a club leaning harder into detail and data. Strength and conditioning coach Samuel Macharia, who rejoined midway through the 2025/26 campaign, stays on to oversee the physical edge Matano demands.
This is not cosmetic change. It is infrastructure for a title tilt.
Seven fresh faces, one clear idea
On the pitch, the recruitment drive has been just as decisive.
Seven new signings walk through the door, each one plugged into a specific need. At right-back, Mark Oduor arrives from Shabana FC, offering energy and width on a flank that lacked consistent thrust. On the opposite side, left-back Jim Owili joins from Mara Sugar, another full-back comfortable in both defensive duels and the attacking third.
In the middle of the park, the spine gets thicker. Defensive midfielder Fidel Origa crosses from Gor Mahia, bringing bite, screening and simple, reliable distribution in front of the back line. Central midfielder Geoffrey Ojunga signs from Bandari, adding legs, passing range and the ability to link phases from deep to advanced areas.
Higher up, Matano has gone for creativity and end product. Attacking midfielder Brian Ouru, snapped up from Mathare United, is expected to unlock tight games with his vision between the lines. On the flanks, Burundian winger Franck Nduwimana joins from Rwanda’s Gorilla, injecting pace and direct running out wide.
Then there is the man expected to finish it all off: striker Assis Mambote, also from Shabana. KCB needed more punch in the box. Mambote is being brought in to supply it.
Matano made it clear these were not opportunistic buys but targeted moves.
“We have been deliberate in identifying players who fit the way we want to play and who possess the quality, discipline and mentality required at KCB. The reinforcement of our technical bench will ensure that we are better prepared for the demands of the new season,” the veteran coach said, underlining a clear philosophy behind the overhaul.
Ambition from the top
The message from upstairs matches the intent on the touchline.
KCB FC Patron Azu Ogola framed the changes as part of a bigger push towards silverware, not just respectability.
“KCB have consistently demonstrated their ambition to compete at the highest level, and these changes reflect our commitment to building a team capable of challenging for trophies. We have assembled a strong technical team and recruited quality players who share our vision," Ogola said.
“As we head into the new season, our expectations are clear: we want to be competitive in every match and make our supporters proud through consistent performances.”
That is the bar now. Not a decent run. Not a respectable finish. A sustained challenge.
From bankers to contenders?
Seventh and fourth are no longer acceptable numbers for a club investing this heavily in expertise and talent. The sense around KCB is that the excuses have been stripped away. Matano has his staff. He has his signings. He has backing from the boardroom.
What he does have, too, is pressure.
The bankers will lean on their new depth to navigate the grind of the domestic calendar, chasing the kind of consistency that turns hopeful talk into trophies. On paper, they look stronger, smarter and more balanced than the side that fell short last season.
Now comes the only test that matters: when the 2026/27 SportPesa League kicks off, will KCB play like a club that has merely recruited well, or one that has finally learned how to win?
