Concerns raised over Fifa own goal in mismanagement of Kenyan game

Twaha Mubarak. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • FKF election a hot potato as Mwendwa and allies are facing stiff opposition from dissenters

Could Football Kenya Federation (FKF) honchos be using world football governing body, Fifa, to arm twist government?

This is the question on the lips of local football stakeholders as Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed was Wednesday night expected to lead a delegation to Zurich for talks with high-ranking officials of football's world governing body about the upcoming FKF elections.

Mohamed was to be accompanied by Sports Registrar Rose Wasike, Sports Disputes Tribunal chairman John Ohaga, FKF president Nick Mwendwa and secretary-general Barry Otieno, who confirmed the two-day talks will focus on the election impasse. (Wednesday night, unconfirmed reports indicated the CS might not travel, after all).

FLOUTING THE SAME RULES

However, a number of local football stakeholders, including former FKF vice-president Twaha Mbarak and FKF presidential aspirant Lordvick Aduda, have voiced concerns over the meeting whose agenda is unclear since Fifa already met the same officials just last month over election-related matters.

In an interview with Nation Sport on Wednesday, Mbarak said the federation is flouting the same rules that led to the cancellation of the initial elections slated for December 7, and wondered why they are imploring the government to allow them to hold an election yet they have not complied with the laws of the land. "Nobody should bend the law. We want to ensure a free and fair election. That is the bare minimum. I hope the trip to Zurich is not aimed at arm twisting the government to soften its stand on compliance with the Sports Act," Mubarak told Nation Sport.

Aduda, who is gunning for the top seat, wondered in what capacity the three government officials were meeting Fifa officials, and said that they will have a lot of explaining to do if they allow the elections to be done before conforming to the Sports Act.

“Ohaga is an equivalent of a high court judge. Why is he going to attend a meeting summoned by respondents of a case he presided over?

“If the officials agree to be arm twisted into signing a memorandum of understanding to allow FKF conduct an election, then they will need to tell the public why they wasted time postponing the previous elections,” he said.

This as Nation Sport has reliably established that Fifa and FKF officials tried to implore the government to allow them conduct elections, then comply with the Sports Act later.

In documents seen by the Nation, FKF CEO Otieno, thereafter, wrote to Sports CS requesting to delay the registration of new counties as branches. Wasike had insisted that registration of new election branches should begin prior to the elections and Amina is on record as stating the elections have to take place as per the Sports Act.

In the letter, Otieno also stressed that Fifa governance officer Sara Solemale had insisted that FKF elections must be held before March 30 or else Kenya will be subjected to unspecified sanctions.

After their meeting with Solemale, however, CS Amina maintained that the elections would be held only in compliance with both Fifa rules and the Sports Act.

The FKF election is now becoming a hot potato, as Mwendwa and his allies are facing stiff opposition from dissenters.

The process was initially scheduled for December 7, but was cancelled by the SDT on grounds that not enough public participation was done during the process.

In his ruling, Ohaga also stated that FKF's Electoral Board was not properly constituted, as some members, such as veteran journalist Elynah Shiveka, were ineligible to sit on it.

GATHERING INCONSEQUENTIAL

With that 27-seven-page ruling, he also cancelled the branch elections which had been conducted on November 27, and directed that FKF president Mwendwa, his deputy Doris Petra, and the National Executive Committee (NEC) members remain in office to facilitate fresh elections.

FKF also held a Special General Meeting in Nairobi where a new Electoral Board and code was approved by delegates, but Twaha has dismissed the gathering as inconsequential on the grounds that the term of office of all branch officials has expired.

This will be the second meeting between Fifa and the Kenyan sports administrators after the first one that happened in December, just after the initial election was cancelled.

Mwendwa, Aduda, former FKF president Sam Nyamweya, politicians Alex Ole Magelo and Moses Akaranga are expected to vie for the top seat in the forthcoming elections.