Mwendwa: I will not resign

What you need to know:

  • Football Kenya Federation (FKF ) chairman Nick Mwendwa has insisted that he will not vacate office after the country was stripped of the right to host next year's Africa Nations Championship (Chan).
  • In Match last year, Mwendwa publicly declared that he would resign if Kenya does not host biennial football competition.
  • Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday, where he was put to task by journalists, Mwendwa said that “there are people who want me gone”, but that he will not resign.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF ) chairman Nick Mwendwa has insisted that he will not vacate office after the country was stripped of the right to host next year's Africa Nations Championship (Chan).

In March last year, Mwendwa publicly declared that he would resign if Kenya does not the host biennial football competition.

Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday, where he was put to task by journalists, Mwendwa said that “there are people who want me gone”, but that he will not resign.

“I can say a lot of things but at the moment I am not resigning. That’s it! I know there are a lot of people who are rooting for me to resign but let them challenge me in an election. I will not resign because losing the hosting rights cannot be attributed to me or my office,” he retorted.

Together with absentee Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario, Mwendwa has come under immense pressure to resign following Saturday’s shocking decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to strip Kenya of the Chan hosting rights.

Wario snubbed Monday’s press briefing , an act that pundits agree should be interpreted as a demonstration of his indifference to the matter.

Despite being the government’s face in maters sports, Wario has made a habit of disappearing from the limelight when most needed, and the shortage of government representation during Caf’s latest inspection visit may have contributed to their decision to withdraw the tournament from Kenya.

Government and FKF officials have however absolved themselves from blame, saying that Chan mishap was brought about by the current political situation in the country, a matter that was beyond their control.

“The key reason we lost this is because of the political situation. I tried to explain to them how our constitution works but they had weren’t convinced,” Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia said on Monday.

The two bodies will however find it difficult to convince the public, as Caf is known to extend latitude to willing hosts who are enduring political upheavals.

The African football chiefs accepted Gabon’s intention to stage the Africa Cup of Nations in January this year despite the fact that the country was undergoing political strife borne from President Ali Bongo’s re-election which was challenged by opposition candidate Jean Ping.

Caf also allowed Equatorial Guinean to host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 amid reports that opposition politicians were being arbitrarily arrested, detained without trial and tortured during that period.