Delegates converge at Safari Park Hotel this morning for a Special General Meeting (SGM) to set in motion repeat polls of Football Kenya Federation (FKF) after the initial branch elections were judicially annulled for failure to comply with, among others, the Sports Act of 2013.

Having found itself in the government crosshairs through the John Ohaga-led Sports Dispute Tribunal and Registrar of Sports Roe Wasike due to various anomalies, the FKF SGM has just four agendas today with the fourth being the focal point of the meeting. 

Items in agenda four include adoption of NEC decisions, adoption of electoral board and the electoral code.

FKF hopes to adopt all the motions and have a smooth meeting with FIFA big wigs in Zurich tomorrow.

Federation CEO Barry Otieno, president Nick Mwendwa, and a government delegation, led by Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and the Sports Registrar will travel to the Swiss city for a rendezvous with the world governing body.

“We are on course with our plans and we expect everything to be flawless. We have complied with directives of the SDT by holding public participation, we have redrafted our election rules and convened the SGM in accordance with existing rules and regulations,” Otieno told People Sport yesterday.

The federation has thawed on controversial requirements of all national office holders obtaining at least five endorsements from the existing 20 branches. 

Instead, aspirants for national executive committee will have a larger pool to obtain five endorsements from. Aspirants are allowed to be endorsed by five of the 85 delegates who will attend today’s SGM.

Mwendwa had been accused of blocking competition by hoarding all endorsements from the 20 branches, leaving would-be opponents without a way to the ballot. 

The new code widens the pool from which candidates can get endorsements but does not prevent any of them from hoarding all available endorsements. Every delegate can only endorse one candidate.

The contentious sub-branch elections that sparked divergent debate last time are still off the table. 

“FKF constitution passed recently did away with sub-branch elections and we cannot change the constitution every two years. That is a directive from FIFA,” added Otieno.

FKF have also disbanded the electoral board that contributed heavily to the nullification of the last polls and a new board is expected to be ushered in by the special sitting.

The federation has settled on Kenya Table Tennis boss Andrew Mudibo, retired referee Alfred Ndinya, broadcaster Ali Hassan Kauleni, management consultant Patrick Onyango, communications expert Kentice Tikolo, Samuel Karanja, Rachel Muthoga and Elaine Mbugua are the eight who have been proposed to take over after the Edwin Wamukoya and Ellynah Shiveka-led team was sent packing.