At 13 years and 294 days, Fridah Parloma became the youngest player to appear in the Kenya Women’s Premier League, playing the full 90 minutes at left back against Shabana Starlets.
Fridah Parloma made history on Sunday, becoming the youngest player ever to feature for Kayole Starlets and in the Kenya Women’s Premier League when she started against Shabana Starlets at 13 years and 294 days old.
Slotting in at left back, Parloma played the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw.
Her debut has been a long time coming. Parloma has spent two seasons in the Kayole Starlets academy, finishing as top scorer in 2024 before returning last season to contribute across a range of positions. Her progress earned her a place in full training with the senior squad last season, making her the youngest player to do so, though she was unable to feature in matches. Sunday was her first chance to step onto the field, and the start of the first-team experience that will shape the next stage of her development.
She was joined on the pitch by fellow debutant Shaneez Nyambura, signed from Eldoret Falcons just weeks ago, who replaced Rebecca Odato in the 50th minute. The pair were team-mates at the Street Child World Cup in Mexico City in May 2026, where Kenya reached the girls’ final before finishing runners-up to the hosts. Four months on, they now share a first-team dressing room.
A third scholar, Adianca Nayoma, who joined the team from Cheza Sports Academy, was named in the matchday squad but did not come on.
All three are members of the first intake of the club’s Elite Scholars Programme, launched this season to give Kenya’s brightest young players a structured pathway from academy football into the professional game. Sunday’s debuts are the clearest sign yet of that pathway working — three scholars in a KWPL matchday squad on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 campaign.
The debut caps a remarkable month for Parloma, who returned from Kigali just two weeks ago with a silver medal from the CAF African Schools Football Championship CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers, where she scored twice for Kenya’s U15 side.
For a club whose mission is taking players from Kenya to the global game, seeing its youngest talents ready for first-team football this early is exactly the standard the season is built on.
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