A football night meant to showcase continental sport turned bitter when Mogadishu City FC supporters were filmed desecrating Kenya’s national flag after a CAF Champions League clash in Nairobi.
Kenya Police FC had defeated the Somali side 3–1 on Saturday. Yet it was not the scoreline that dominated headlines, but disturbing footage of two Mogadishu fans trampling and mocking the Kenyan flag outside Nyayo Stadium.
Clips circulating on TikTok and X show one supporter spreading the flag on the ground before kicking it skyward. Another then catches it mid-air and thrusts it crudely against his body as onlookers laugh. In another video, a man draped in a Somali sarong is seen snatching a flag from a Kenya Police fan and throwing it to the ground.
The acts have drawn sharp condemnation from Kenyans. “The flag of Kenya is being mocked, shredded, misused, and abused by Mogadishu FC fans at Nyayo Stadium. When did we get here?” sports journalist Tony Kwalanda wrote on X.
Others were less restrained. One angry supporter said: “This is bad manners and disrespect to our nation. They had the guts to snatch a Kenyan flag and throw it down. I hope those involved face the law.”
But not all responses were hostile. Some urged restraint, warning against blaming the wider Somali community. “This is not representative of the average Somali,” wrote Mohamed Abdikheyr. “These boys should be disciplined and banned from future matches. Football is not about this sort of behaviour.”
Tensions between the two groups of fans had been visible throughout the evening. At one point, scuffles broke out after a Mogadishu supporter attempted to raise the Somali flag in the midst of Kenya Police fans.
Officials have yet to comment directly on the incidents. However, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo congratulated Police FC for their victory, describing it as a “brighter beginning” for the team in continental football.
The row comes under the shadow of Kenya’s National Flag, Emblems and Names Act, which forbids insulting or abusing the flag. Offenders risk fines of up to Sh5,000 or six months in jail. While Kenya’s Constitution recognises the flag as a symbol of unity, it does not explicitly criminalise acts such as stepping on it.
The two teams will meet again this Sunday in Nairobi for the second leg. With the controversy still raw, authorities are expected to keep a closer eye not only on the players but also on the terraces.
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