Dire Dawa

Foundation (1982-2003)

Dire Dawa Kenema was originally founded in 1982 (1975 E.C.) until the club went defunct.

New Beginning (2003-Present)

The club was reestablished in 2003 (1996 EC) with the hopes of restoring Dire Dawa's historic place in Ethiopian football. The following year (2004–05) the club played in a regional league (then considered the third tier of Ethiopian football). In 2005–06 the club entered the second tier of Ethiopian football called the Ethiopian National League (now called the Ethiopian Higher League). The club entered the Ethiopian Premier League for the first time in 2007–08 season.

Dire Dawa Kenema spent the first few season in the top division battling relegation. The club lost its best player from the 2009–10 season, Ashenafi Girma, to Meta Abo Beer F.C. during the 2010–11 season. Dire Dawa Kenema was relegated from the Premier League after the 2011-12 season.

Dire Dawa Kenema was promoted back to the Ethiopian Premier League after the 2014–15 season and managed to finish 11th in the 2015–16 season avoiding relegation. The club battled relegation in the two seasons since then and avoided relegation each time. The club signed Yosef Dengeto to a contract in March 2018. Former coach of the Ethiopian National team Yohannes Sahle signed on to coach the club on August 3, 2018.

Fisseha Teumelisan was sacked as manager of the club on February 12, 2021. After his firing, Fisseha sued the club saying that he hadn't been paid the amount that was owned to him after the termination of his contract.