FKF aspirants support federation’s decision to use electoral code

Aspiring candidates for the presidential seat in the upcoming Football Kenya Federation (FKF) elections have backed the decision by the federation’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to hold the exercise under the FKF Electoral Code (2020).

On Saturday, the federation’s NEC meeting at Kandanda House offices at the Goal Project passed key resolutions with the main focus on kick-starting the process of the eagerly awaited polls, scheduled to be held later in the year.

A statement signed by FKF CEO Barry Otieno confirmed the development by saying: “Most importantly, the NEC kick-started the process of the FKF elections 2024, scheduled to be held later in the year, by resolving that the said elections will be conducted using the FKF Electoral Code (2020) which was used in the last elections. This provides consistency and transparency in the electoral exercise.”

The move by NEC has been hailed by candidates keen to go for the top seat currently being held by Nick Mwendwa with Lordvick Aduda, who once served as the FKF Secretary General under the Sam Nyamweya regime and as the CEO of FKF Premier League champions Gor Mahia, saying by using Electoral Code the exercise will be done in accordance to the FKF constitution.

“There is no malice in using the FKF Electoral Code (2020) for the 2024 elections, aspiring candidates should not feel aggrieved that they are either being betrayed or being locked out of contesting, FKF are following the law as per the FIFA rules,” Aduda told People Sports.

“Attending politically sponsored tournaments does not clear anyone to vie for any FKF seat, the FKF laws are very clear, and the FKF Electoral Code has all the laws that must be followed. Have you ever seen a non-member from FIFA contesting for any seat when they have elections? For example, Sepp Better was FIFA secretary before he got elected to be the President, Gianni Infantino was the boss at UEFA before he contested for FIFA presidency and won.”

He continued: “If you are a shareholder at KCB and Equity are having their AGM, why should you attend the Equity meeting, for what purpose and you are not among their shareholders? That is the same case with football; you must be a shareholder to attend their AGM. I want to repeat that FKF are following the law, and that is the case and it should not be seen that they are blocking others.”

Nyamweya, who is seeking for another term in office having served for only one as the president before being replaced by Mwendwa in 2016, said using the Electoral Code will bring sanity and transparency but called for the inclusion of the County Football Association to the exercise.

“I have no problem if they will use the 2020 Electoral Code, it means I may win unopposed because so many candidates will not be able to meet the requirements,” said Nyamweya.

Former NEC member Tom Alila supported the use of the 2020 Electoral Code but warned the federation not to use the same to lock out other aspirants from contesting. “The notice for the NEC meeting was long overdue and the move to use the 2020 Electoral Code is welcome, but my plea is to FKF not to use the Code to lock out aspirants,” said Alila, adding: “They (FKF) must ensure all eligible candidates are allowed to vie. We don’t want a selective exercise but an all-inclusive one.”

Meanwhile, the NEC further resolved the Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will ratify the FKF Electoral Board and the Electoral Code (2020) will be held on March 16 in Nairobi and also unanimously approved the calendar for all national teams, spanning senior team Harambee Stars, Junior sides, and women’s team, and approved the FKF competitions calendar for 2024, covering all federation’s leagues and competitions which will provide clarity for clubs and allowing them to plan for the season effectively.

At the same time, the NEC members discussed and adopted the FKF budget for 2024. The budget will allocate resources towards fulfilling FKF’s core objectives of developing football infrastructure, grassroots programs, elite players development, refereeing, and competitions.