Luanda Villa

Mumboha Sports Ground sits in Vihiga County, a multi-purpose pitch now being reworked to meet the standards the Football Kenya Federation sets for top-flight matches. That renovation says something about where Luanda Villa now find themselves: a club still fitting its ground to the level it plays at, rather than the other way round.

The step up came in July 2023, when Luanda Villa won the FKF Division One Zone B Championship and earned their first-ever promotion to the National Super League. It had not gone smoothly the first time round — an attempt at promotion in the 2020/21 season, against SS Assad FC, fell short, and by October 2021 the club was locked in a three-way race with Mara Sugar and SS Assad for a place up the ladder. The title, when it came, was settled on the final day: Luanda Villa beat Zoo FC 1-0, Doreck Otieno scoring in the 38th minute.

They carried that form into the National Super League itself, unbeaten through the first nine rounds of the 2023/24 season. Fixtures against Vihiga Bullets and Vihiga United carry their own weight beyond the table.

The squad has turned over since the promotion side that beat Zoo FC. Hillary Mudoka left for Vihiga Bullets in March 2023, and defender Gerishom Arabe was suspended for misconduct in 2024. Coaching has changed hands more than once too, with Tom Tera, Gilbert Selebwa and Leonard Saleh all having taken charge at different points. The club plays in navy and white.

One goal, in the 38th minute of a single afternoon, is what separated Luanda Villa from another season in Zone B.