Govt and Sports Registrar should keep off FKF elections, Aduda
By Dennis Mabuka, January 15, 2024
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) presidential aspirant Lordvick Omondi Aduda has called on the government and the Sports Registrar to keep off the process of the forthcoming elections insisting any interference from the two will trigger an indefinite world governing body FIFA ban.
After the federation’s National Executive Committee (NEC) met on January 6 and kick-started the process for the eagerly awaited exercise, it has emerged the government had earlier threatened to revoke a provisional licence it issued to the federation after they had failed to align their operations with the Sports Act 2013.
FKF CEO Barry Otieno confirmed to People Sports having received the letter dated September 8, 2023, from the Sports Registrar Rose Wasike and copied to Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Principal Secretary Peter Tum. In the letter, whose deadline elapsed on December 8, Wasike wrote: “So far, I have not cancelled FKF’s certificate not because of FKF but due to the interest of the athlete, technical officials, and the fans,” adding: “Please note that if FKF fails to adhere to the conditions attached to its registration within sixty (60) days from the date of this letter, I will not hesitate to invoke the powers bestowed upon me under the section to cancel the aforementioned certificate.”
Wasike further faulted FKF led by Nick Mwendwa for failure to review the federation’s constitution in line with the Kenyan Constitution 2010 since receiving the Conditional Registration Certificate in May 2018 and advised FKF to engage stakeholders including the County Football Associations (CFA) with a view of developing strategic plans, amending the constitutions and holding free and fair elections.
According to Aduda, who worked as the CEO of the federation during the Sam Nyamweya regime and as the CEO of FKF Premier League champions Gor Mahia, the latest act from the government will bring chaos into the sport and could derail the exercise, who’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been has been scheduled for March 16 to set up the date.
“The Sports CS is on record to have said that the FKF elections shall be done in accordance with the FKF constitution and the FIFA Statutes, in that context we must all be conversant with the respective provisions of both the Statutes and the constitution,” Aduda told People Sports, adding: “The contents of the FIFA Standard Electoral Code Article 2 (a), (C) and (d) are very explicit with regards to non-government interference with the process of elections and it is myopic for anyone to disregard.
“It is equally important to take note of the contents of Article 27(1) of the FIFA Statutes on eligibility. If even at the FIFA elections such criteria are mandatory why should we raise hell if the Member Association follows the same procedure, particularly given the fact that all Member Associations of FIFA are obligated to follow and observe the FIFA Statutes? Failure of which comes with dire consequences.”
Aduda regretted that if the government makes good their threats to deregister FKF, then football will suffer. “The FKF league has entered the second round and we don’t want anything that will render the season a nullity, clubs spend millions of shillings to participate in the league and we will not entertain busybodies, who only surface during elections to mislead both the Sports CS and the Registrar of Sports in an attempt to take over running of football,” concluded Aduda.