What You Need To Know:
- Dogo Khan was born in Bonyunyu, Nyamira County in 1950
- He Founded Shabana FC in 1982
- He Helped Shabana FC reach its peak in the mid-1980s
- In 2022, Shabana FC Chairman Nyandoro Kambi passed away
- Shabana won NSL title and promoted to FKF-Premier League in 2023
Shabana FC was founded in 1982 by businessman Dogo Khan. The club was promoted to the top flight in 1985, and they finished 10th in their first season. In 1986, they improved to 8th place.
Who is Dogo Khan?
Dogo Khan was born in 1950 in Bonyunyu village, Nyamira County, Kenya. He was a businessman and the founder of Shabana FC, a football club based in Kisii.
Khan started his business career in the early 1970s, selling hardware and building materials at Shabana Hardware.
He was a successful businessman, and he used his wealth to support Shabana FC.
When Was Shabana FC Founded?
Shabana FC was founded in 1982, and it quickly became one of the most popular football clubs in Kenya.
The club reached its peak in the mid-1980s, when it finished third in the Kenyan Premier League and represented Kenya in the African Cup of Champions Clubs.
Khan was a passionate supporter of Shabana FC, and he was known for his generous financial support of the club.
He also played a key role in the club’s success, providing advice and guidance to the management and coaching staff.
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The success of Shabana FC was directly connected to Iterio secondary school.
Iterio acted as the nurturing school for Shabana players. The three most famous players to play for Shabana during this period were Henry Motego, Henry Nyandoro, and Mike Okoth Origi.
All three players started to play for Shabana while still at Iterio.
In 1987, the Iterio team led by Motego, Okoth, and several other Shabana players went on to win the national schools championships.
They beat the much vaunted Kakamega high school, which had won the national schools title in no less than 5 out of the last 7 competitions.
The 1987 season ended up being the best ever for Shabana. They surprised everyone by finishing 3rd in the league behind only Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.
They also represented Kenya in the Africa Champions cup, but they lost in the first round to Kabwe Warriors of Zambia.
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Shabana’s home form at the Gusii stadium was the key to their success in the league.
The atmosphere was intimidating for visiting players. Their fan base was amongst the most passionate in the country and very demanding even to the point of threatening Shabana players with violence if they lost and threatening visiting players with the same if they won.
Unfortunately, the club could not hold onto their best players. Simiyu had left of AFC. While Motego and Okoth joined Tusker in 1988.
Shabana had one more crack at continental football in the 2000 when they played Hay al Arab of Sudan in the CAF cup. Once again they lost in the 1st round, going down 0-2 on aggregate.
The club’s fortunes started to nosedive in 2006 when they were relegated from the top flight after 21 years. They refused to play in the lower divisions and the club was disbanded. In 2008, the club was revived and started its path back to relevance.
The Kenya premier league could benefit immensely from a team like Shabana which already has a built in and committed fan base. Aside from Gor Mahia and AFC, Shabana is probably the only team that could regularly draw crowds.
One of the issues holding Shabana back has been vested interests and agendas by various individuals. For Shabana to return to the top flight, it will take plenty of good governance, hard work, commitment and selflessness from the fans, players and officials.
Shabana should take heart from the fact that both Gor Mahia and AFC looked dead and buried as recently as 2006 when the latter was in the lower divisions while the former was constantly battling relegation.
In 2022, the club’s chairman Nyandoro Kambi passed away. He was a dedicated and passionate supporter of the club, and his loss was a great blow to the Shabana community.
Despite its recent struggles, Shabana FC remains a popular and well-supported club with a rich history. The club has the potential to return to the top flight, and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Shabana.
Shabana FC won the National Super League (NSL) on July 8, 2023, and were promoted back to the FKF Premier League for the first time since 2006.
They finished the season with 73 points, 4 points ahead of second-placed Murang’a SealFC.
Who owns Shabana FC?
Shabana is a community club
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