It’s the biggest match in Nairobi, but its presence as a derby is felt well beyond the city’s 9.3 million people. It brings Kenya to a full stop, and is one of the fiercest rivalries in all of Africa. The tension so thick you can cut with a knife is always present when Gor Mahia FC and AFC Leopards take the field in the Mashemeji Derby.
The two clubs that represent Kenya’s capital city first took the field against each other in May 1968. AFC Leopards, who began in 1964, is known as Ingwe (The Leopards) and was born out of the combination of a couple local teams into Abaluhya Football Club.