| Season | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Tusker 5th Premier League title 10th Kenyan title overall |
| Relegated | Rangers Oserian |
| Champions League | Tusker |
| Confederation Cup | Gor Mahia (cup winner) |
| Top 8 Cup | Tusker Gor Mahia A.F.C. Leopards Sofapaka Thika United Ulinzi Stars Chemelil Sugar Mathare United |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 458 (1.91 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | John Baraza (Sofapaka) (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | KCB 4–0 Nairobi City Stars (2 March 2012)[1] A.F.C. Leopards 6-2 Rangers (8 April 2012)[2] |
| Biggest away win | Rangers 0–6 Thika United (25 March 2012)[3] |
| Highest scoring | A.F.C. Leopards 6-2 Rangers (8 April 2012)[2] |
| Highest attendance | 20,409[4] (Gor Mahia versus AFC Leopards) |
← 2011 2013 → | |
The 2012 Kenyan Premier League (known as the Tusker Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the Kenyan Premier League since its establishment in 2003 and the forty-ninth season of top division football in Kenya since 1963. It began on 11 February with Tusker and Nairobi City Stars and ended on 10 November with Oserian and Rangers. The winners of the league will earn a place at the preliminary round of the 2013 CAF Champions League and play against the 2012 FKF President's Cup champions at the 2013 Kenyan Super Cup.
The defending champions Tusker, who also became the defending champions of the Kenyan Super Cup after beating Gor Mahia, the defending champions of the FKF Cup, earlier in the year, won their tenth league title after beating Nairobi City Stars 3−0 away at the Hope Centre. Gor Mahia, the former league leaders with 58 points (Tusker were second with 57), needed a win against Thika United to clinch a record thirteenth title, but the match ended in a 1−1 draw. A.F.C. Leopards, who were third with 57 points (Tusker were ahead on goal difference), also needed a win for a chance at a record thirteenth title as well, but lost 1−0 away to Chemelil Sugar.
A total of 16 teams are competed for the league, with fourteen returning from the 2011 season and one promoted from the FKL Nationwide League and the KFF Nationwide League, which were joint to make FKF Division One after the 2011 season. FKL champions Oserian and KFF champions Muhoroni Youth were promoted, while Congo JMJ United and Bandari, finishing last and second-last respectively, were relegated. Oserian were relegated at the end of the season, along with Rangers.
The league was halted at the end of 20 May to give teams a chance to rest and make possible changes in their squads during the mid-year transfer window. Matches resumed on 23 June.
On 21 August, the Kenyan Premier League and East African Breweries signed a KSh.170 million/= (US$2.02 million; £1.28 million sterling; €1.62 million) deal to rename the league to the Tusker Premier League, making it the most lucrative deal in Kenyan football history.[5]