The Football Kenya Federation elections calendar set to be unveiled by the reconstituted electoral board is a creation of the Nick Mwendwa-led national executive committee and not the board as it is supposed to be.
Kurunzi can reveal that the calendar had been drafted by Mwendwa and his cronies and has merely been handed over to the board, which stakeholders maintain is illegal, to announce it before end of the week.
During the unveiling of the board earlier in the week, chairperson Kentice Tikolo said they were going to discuss the calendar as per the FIFA directive but it has now emerged the calendar was given to them by FKF acting CEO – Barry Otieno.
The revelation confirms the electoral board is not independent as it ought to be but will be manipulated by the NEC.
Stakeholders, including several sub branches have cried foul at how Mwendwa has, from the outset, been hellbent on rigging himself back into office through a compromised board and disregard to FIFA guidelines, the Sports Act (2013) and the sports registrar’s regulations.
Mwendwa has also been called out for being in contempt of a ruling by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (issued on 3 December 2019) that annuled the previous elections held in November requiring that the process be repeated in full compliance with the law and other applicable statutes.
The tribunal also directed that there be proper public participation in the appointment of the electoral and appeals boards as well as the crafting of the electoral code.
However, the federation only restricted participation to branches in a process cited as a mere public relations stunt as no substantive opinion was considered and the exercise was just a rubber stamping effort.
Stakeholders have contended that there is no provision for an appeals board, instead aggrieved parties are referred to the FKF appeals board which contravenes the SDT ruling.
Further contention emanates from claims by a section of clubs that the general meeting (of 28 January 2020) was illegally convened as the delegates who attended in the name of representing branches had no mandate to do so “because their term had expired”.
There are fears of interference in the process by Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed who is being inducted for attempting to prevail upon Rose Wasike, the sports registrar, into allowing the elections to proceed without full compliance to the law and the regulations of her office.
Also, it is suspected that Mwendwa may have schemes to armtwist SDT chairman John Ohaga by having his close ally – Patrick Onyango, on the electoral but how that would affect his independence should the matter find its way to the tribunal is a different matter altogether which only time would tell.
Otieno, the acting CEO of the FKF, has been quoted by a section of the media as saying in shrewd arrogance that the elections will proceed whether or not the issues raised by stakeholders are valid.
“Anybody that feels aggrieved should go to the sports Disputes Tribunal or the court of arbitration for sport,” he is quoted as saying with arrogant demeanour.
With just four days left before the end of Mwendwa’s term, calls for government and FIFA to appoint a caretaker committee to take charge of elections and oversee the transition have hitba crescendo.
Last week, a delegation was due to fly to Zurich for a meeting but the trio was cancelled at the last minute without any explanation being given.
