FKF top brass, Electoral Board sued for contempt

What you need to know:

  • Nyauma wants the judicial body that deals with sports matters to nullify the sub branch and county elections that were conducted on November 23 and a fresh exercise be ordered
  • He also wants each of the six respondents be fined a sum of Sh2 million as punishment for violating the SDT’s directive
  • Last week, aspirants for the president’s seat in the FKF national elections held a joint press conference where they cast aspersions on the electoral process

Senior Football Kenya Federation officials have been sued for disobeying orders issues by the Sports Dispute Tribunal.

FKF Nyamira Sub Branch chairman Jared Nyauma filed contempt proceedings on Wednesday afternoon SDT against FKF president Nick Mwendwa, Doris Petra and Barry Otieno, as well as Edwin

Wamukoya, Elynah Shiveka, Robert Nyakundi, and Abdi Said who are members of the federation’s Electoral Board.

Nyauma wants the judicial body that deals with sports matters to nullify the sub branch and county elections that were conducted on November 23 and a fresh exercise be ordered only after the matters that are pending before the tribunal are heard and determined.

He also wants each of the six respondents be fined a sum of Sh2 million as punishment for violating the SDT’s directive.

The matter will be heard on Tuesday.

The Sports Dispute Tribunal issued orders on October 22 invalidating any FKF county elections held until a poll dispute before the tribunal was heard and determined.

The petitioner said in filed papers: “Through an order of the tribunal dated October 22, 2019, the respondents were directed to receive and accept nomination papers but not validate them pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

“In blatant disobedience of the order of the tribunal, the respondents and their agents continued with nominations, elections and validation process in disobedience of the order.

VALID ORDER

“The respondents have ignored, disobeyed, disregarded and continue to defy a valid order by continuing to conduct sub branch and county elections in contempt of the orders of the tribunal directing them to only receive and accept nomination papers but not validate them pending the hearing and determination of the matter.”

Last week, aspirants for the president’s seat in the FKF national elections held a joint press conference where they cast aspersions on the electoral process, and vowed to sue the federation head for contempt of court if they went ahead and organised the county elections that were slated for November 23.

Those elections took place. National elections are scheduled for December 7.

Separately, the Sports Registrar had also requested FKF to call off last week’s county elections, stating that the County Sports Associations had not been duly registered by her office, and were therefore improperly existing.

“It is not proper for Football Kenya Federation to hold elections for County Sports Associations that have not registered in my office and also use non-existent County Sports Associations to vote in officials of Football Kenya Federation.

"I have been left with no option but to request you to call off the elections scheduled for November 23, plus those of Counties,” the Registrar’s letter read.