Police FC beat Ethiopian Coffee but exit Cecafa Kagame Cup
Daniel Sakari of Kenya Police FC (L), tries to block a move by an Ethiopian Coffee player during their CECAFA Kagame Cup group match on September 9, 2025. Police won 2-0. Photo courtesy of CECAFA Online.
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Kenyan Premier League champions Police FC agonisingly bowed out of the ongoing CECAFA Kagame Cup championship on Monday, despite beating Ethiopian Coffee 2-0 in their last group match staged at the Gen. Isamuhyo Stadium in Dar es Salaam - Tanzania.
Oliver Mang'eni and David Okoth were on target for Police, their goals coming late in the 86th and 89th minutes, but the victory was not enough to secure the Kenyan champions a slot in the semi finals as only top finishers in the three groups and just one best second place finisher were to progress.
With Kindondoni, a second place finisher in their group hitting seven points, Police who won two matches and lost one them had their way blocked, as they managed only six points.
Their second fixture loss to Tanzanian side Singida Black Stars proved costly, and they now have shifted focus to their CAF Champions League debut campaign.
Police FC Head Coach Etienne Ndayiraggije took positives from the match, despite failing to progress to the last four.
"I thank God for the win, we have seen an improvement in our performance and some character that I wanted from my players," he noted.
"This tournament has been good for us. I have very young players and they needed this stage to learn. For sure we have learnt a lot and we are hopeful that we will be better when our league resumes back home," said Kasahaun.
At the Gen. Isamuhyo Stadium, both sides endured a tough first half, with few half chances at both ends, before the game came to life in the second stanza.
But the decisive moments were to come in the tail-end of the clash.
Mangeni, a halftime substitute, broke the deadlock with five minutes to play for the priceless lead for the Kenyans.
The goal came moments after coach Ndajiragijye had made a couple of changes to add attacking mettle.
Okoth, another late substitute, doubled the advantage with a late effort to seal Police’s second win in the tournament.
The law enforcers, who were using the tourney as a launchpad ahead of their historic CAF Champions League debut later this year, kicked off their campaign on a dream note, winning 4-0 against Djibouti’s Garde-Cotes on September 2, 2025.
As part of its preparations, the new FKF PL champions have been busy bolstering their ranks, with ex-Harambee Stars defender Joash Onyango among those roped in ahead of their debut in the CAF games.
They claimed their maiden KPL title in February 2025 after dethroning record champions Gor Mahia.
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