Are KPL Teams Too Dependent on Dead Balls for Goals (40%)?

In the men’s Kenyan Premier League, 255 goals have been scored. About 39% of these have been scored from dead ball or set-piece situations. A set-piece goal is scored when the ball starts from a dead ball situation, like a free kick, corner, penalty, or throw-in.

The ball must result in a shot before the play becomes open play.

Tisini Tech, which tracks events in Kenyan sports events, has recorded 99 set-piece goals so far.

These categories represent goals scored from set pieces or dead-ball situations. The total number of such goals is:

Total Goals from Set Pieces/Dead Ball Situations:

33 (Corner) + 35 (Free Kick) + 12 (Penalty) + 1 (Penalty Rebound) + 18 (Throw In) = 99 goals

This is quite a high reliance on dead ball situations. For comparison, According to Opta, set pieces account for 23.5% of goals scored in the English Premier League as of December 2024.

The teams in the local league have also scored 98 goals from open play, 38 from transitions and 19 from counters. However, the almost 40% goals from set pieces leaves one wondering if the local leagues have mastered at art or are just too reliant on dead balls to score?