Football

Ten-man Tusker prevails over Nzoia Sugar

James Kibande © Tusker FC

By Michael Kirwa | Monday, May 6, 2024

James Kibande was clearly emotional and had to be substituted after scoring the goal that all but relegated his former team to the second-tier

Round 28 of the 2023–24 FKF Premier League season concluded on Monday with the 13-time league champions defeating basement club Nzoia Sugar 1-0 at the Dandora Stadium.

James Kibande, a former Nzoia Sugar player, put his former employers to the sword with his 79th-minute goal, proving the difference between the two sides.

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James Kibande sheds tears after scoring against Nzoia.. The Millers are on a free fall and look set to be relegated.

He joined the club in 2019 from St. Anthony's Boys Kitale before moving to Kenya Police FC and later Tusker FC #FootballKE
— Ole Teya (@TeyaKevin) May 6, 2024

The Nairobi-based team managed to secure victory despite playing with a man less following the sending off of midfielder Chris Erambo in the 42nd minute.

The victory saw the Alemen bolster their occupation of the third spot on the log with a four-point cushion over the fourth-placed Nairobi City Stars, who have 45 points but have a match in hand following the postponement of their Round 28 fixture against Ulinzi Stars.

On the other hand, Nzoia Sugar remains at the bottom of the 18-team table with 17 points. The Bungoma-based team has won only once in 2024, a 2-1 victory over Bidco United in February. They have only managed to collect one point in their last seven league games due to their miserable form, making them certain of relegation at the end of the season.

Nzoia Sugar's imminent relegation will bring an end to an eight-season spell in the nation's top flight.

After winning the 2016 FKF National Super League season, Nzoia Sugar advanced to the top flight and concluded its first season in the Kenyan Premier League in 9th place in 2017.

In the five seasons that followed, the club did not finish higher than 12th and flirted with relegation in a number of seasons before registering their best performance since promotion when they finished fourth in the league last season.

A mass exodus of players to other top-flight clubs followed that impressive performance, and the club has struggled to recover from those departures.

With six matches remaining until the end of the season, the club needs a miraculous turnaround to survive relegation, but their recent form does not inspire much hope.