The Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) went down fighting  4-3 to Royal Media Services (RMS) in their second match of the season at the University of Nairobi’s Kabete campus on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Coming off an emphatic 8-2 victory over Azam FC in their season opener, SJAK had hoped to build momentum with back-to-back wins.

Instead, SJAK met a resilient RMS side and were edged out in a closely fought encounter despite a spirited performance.

Led by player-coach Gregory Mulemi and veteran Fred Arocho, SJAK did not field a full-strength squad, but still matched RMS for long spells in an evenly contested match that produced chances at both ends in the first and second halves.

SJAK found their main attacking spark in Bracho Ayoo, who netted a hat-trick to keep his side in contention throughout the match. RMS, however, responded effectively through Newton Andika of the Citizen TV Transmission department, who netted a brace, while Collins Orina of Citizen Radio also got on the scoresheet.

The teams were deadlocked 2-2 at halftime after an entertaining opening half that saw both sides exchange goals and create multiple opportunities. In the second half, the intensity remained high, with SJAK pressing for the lead and RMS staying compact and dangerous on the break.

The decisive moment came late in the game when Ramogi news anchor Emmanuel Ochieng converted a penalty to seal a 4-3 win for RMS.

“We didn’t field a full-strength team, but I’m glad we went down fighting,” explained Mulemi, a career radio and TV presenter. “The friendlies we have played against media houses are very key as they enhance cohesion and indeed celebrate years of practice as professionals. Standards have been set, and only the sky’s the limit.”

Mulemi also praised the team’s effort, describing SJAK as a side of professionals committed to improving with each outing.

SJAK executive committee member and team co-ordinator Geoffrey "Beki" Mwamburi echoed the sentiment, stressing the importance of media houses coming together through sport.

“Media houses need to come together and support each other. We’re not just journalists, we’re sports enthusiasts, and this is a great opportunity for us to build relationships and promote sports in Kenya,” he said.

SJAK will now regroup and shift focus to their next fixture against the SDT as they seek to bounce back from the narrow defeat.