Mathare United have made sweeping changes to the squad ahead of the 2026/27 SportPesa League season, with coach David Ouma using the transfer window to address the weaknesses that contributed to last season’s struggles.
The Slum Boys have signed 13 players as Ouma builds a side he hopes will be more competitive. They are —— Michael Kyalo, Christopher Oruchum, Joshua Nyatini, Simon Masaka, Kent Wanyama, Evans Makari, Ambrose Sifuna, Wycliford Oduor, Francis Kahiro, Daniel Odhiambo, Ateek Zubeir Said Omar, David Simiyu and Victor Omune.
The recruitment comes after Mathare finished 14th last season on 41 points from 34 matches, spending much of the campaign fighting to stay out of the relegation zone.
Ouma returned to the club on a one-year deal in June to replace John Kamau and has since moved to put his stamp on the squad. The areas he wants to improve became apparent during pre-season, particularly in defence and attack.
Mathare’s eight-day tour of Rwanda gave Ouma a chance to test his new-look team against stronger opposition, despite returning without a win.
They lost 1-0 to APR FC and Gorilla FC before Rayon Sports handed them a 3-0 defeat. Mathare failed to score in all three matches while conceding five goals.
Ouma was nonetheless satisfied with what the tour revealed, saying the matches helped expose problems that could still be addressed before the league campaign begins.
“I am overall satisfied with the outcome, but of course we have to look at and address defending and scoring because they are major areas where we felt we fell short,” Ouma said.
The lack of goals was particularly a concern for a team seeking to improve on last season’s position, and Ouma admitted the attacking department needs work after the Rwanda assignment. “We have not scored a goal,” he said, pointing to the need to improve Mathare’s ‘attacking prowess’.
The coach’s assessment has given greater context to the club’s transfer activity, with the new arrivals expected to provide fresh options in the areas he has identified as problematic. Christopher Oruchum and Evans Maliachi are among the players brought in as Ouma seeks greater solidity in the defence.
At the other end, the overhaul is intended to give the technical bench more options as it looks to improve the team’s output in front of goal. Ouma now has to mould the new arrivals into a unit capable of responding to the demands of a long league campaign.
The recruitment has been matched by a substantial clear-out, with 13 players leaving the club. Paul Kinyanjui, Daniel Adiwour, Robert Mboya, Boaz Mushiri, Fidel Otieno, Douglas Mokaya and Brian Ouru are among those who have departed, alongside Dennis Mukoye, Francis Kayugi, Dennis Okoth, Steve Kimari, Sammy Imbuye and Brian Ochieng.
Ouma said exposing the revamped squad to difficult opposition in Rwanda was a deliberate decision rather than a risk. He described the assignment as “very bold” and said the Rwandan teams provided ‘the test that we needed’.
For a coach, rebuilding a team, the value of such matches lies as much in identifying shortcomings as in results. Ouma believes Mathare were better served by discovering their weaknesses before the season rather than waiting until competitive matches had begun.
“Sometimes, as a coach, you should lose in the pre-season, but in the league, you make sure you put your feet on the ground,” he said.
The Rwanda tour has, therefore, provided a reference point for Ouma as he prepares his new squad. The coach must now turn the lessons from those defeats into improvements while integrating the 13 newcomers with the players who remain. Mathare’s extensive transfer activity reflects the need for a significant improvement after last season’s 14th-place finish.
