A storm is brewing at the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) after President Hussein Mohammed has maintained his ground on the removal of Chief Executive Officer Harold Ndege from office.

The federation accuses Ndege of persistent governance failures, poor leadership, breach of protocol, and mismanagement of key football programs and administrative duties, raising serious questions about the stability of its secretariat.

Taking to X on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, FKF President Hussein talked tough, insisting that the reform agenda at Goal Project shall be a painful process that will take time, but it can and must be done.

His sentiments come shortly after CEO Ndge has been ejected from the FKF National Executive Committee WhatsApp group in what appears to be the final move before his possible ouster from office. The embattled administrator, however, has secured court orders preventing his removal and the appointment of a successor ahead of Thursday’s NEC meeting.

”I ran on the pillars of integrity, transparency and accountability. I intend to stay true to my manifesto and promise to achieve our collective vision of making Kenya a great footballing Nation. If we are to compete with the best in the world, we must decisively and fearlessly deal with incompetence, mediocrity, corruption and ineptitude in the administration of football,” Mohammed said.

”For too long, we have normalised and tolerated low standards in our institutions. This must stop. The reform agenda shall be a painful process that will take time, but it can and must be done.”

Centre of dispute

At the centre of the dispute is an accusation that Ndege failed to notify the FKF President about a parliamentary summons issued on October 28, requiring Mohammed to appear before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture.

According to reports from the federation, the President only learnt of the invitation weeks later by chance, yet the CEO had already facilitated the preparation of a report and even engaged Parliament to alter meeting dates without consulting him.

Youth teams mismanagement

The FKF CEO is of poor planning and weak administrative leadership in the appointment of the Kenya U17 technical bench, a process that was allegedly delayed and rushed despite urgency. The President links this failure to the team’s disappointing performance at the CECAFA U17 Championships in Ethiopia.

Similar concerns were raised over the U15 national team, where Mohammed says there was no clarity on who appointed the technical bench, under what authority, or how preparations were handled ahead of the CECAFA tournament in Uganda.

The team reportedly suffered logistical failures, wore incorrect merchandise, and attracted negative publicity, with no satisfactory explanation offered by the CEO’s office.

Legal, administrative and governance concerns

Ndege is also accused of mismanaging sensitive court cases in Nyamira and Homa Bay, exposing FKF to legal and reputational risks due to delays and poor coordination. Communication between the two senior officials has also reportedly broken down.

Leagues, security and operational failures

The reports paint a grim picture of Ndege’s leadership in managing domestic competitions and match security, noting repeated incidents of hooliganism in FKF leagues, Harambee Stars World Cup qualifiers, and CHAN matches.

In the Eastern Zone Division One and Two leagues, operational challenges have reportedly persisted due to weak escalation mechanisms and conflicting communication, disrupting competitions and eroding stakeholder confidence.

Among other failures, the CEO is further accused of undertaking official travel without clearance, misusing a federation vehicle for personal convenience despite receiving a fuel allowance, and failing to provide leadership in his role as deputy CEO of the CHAN Local Organising Committee.