Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

On Friday December 6, 2024, the eve of the much hyped Football Kenya Federation (FKF) elections, Dorris Petra under the flagship of ‘Team Blue’ had managed to bring together a total of 48 voters under one roof at a Five-Star hotel in a Nairobi suburb each enjoying the privilege two full-board nights.

A presidential candidate only needed 46 votes to be declared the winner of the process and by the time that ‘Team Blue’ camp were going to bed at the hig-end hotel, all seemed to be on proper course. A clear win was in sight, if all went as planned, because they had 48 delegates.

On the other end, Hussein Mohammed who has all along been tipped to be the main opponent of the establishment, is believed to have secured the attendance of six delegates who turned up at his pre-election camp at another high-end lodge on the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway on Thursday evening.

It is believed that he latter rushed to the city centre of Nairobi to receive arriving candidates from different parts of the country to tie loose ends in preparations for the polls.

It is not clear if the other six candidates had similar arrangements for their staunch delegates, but the entire narrative changed in the last 12 hours to the elections.

Hussein Mohammed was elected to lead the national federation for the next four years, after a tensed excersice that was manned by more than 200 paralimitary officers.

As he made infrastructure development a priority in the lead-up to the vote, Hussein Mohammed was declared winner of the closely-contested election after two rounds of members casting their ballots for their new president.

In the first round, ‘Team Blue’ was shocked to pick 31 votes from an expected 48, while Hussein under the flagship of ‘Fresh Start’ managed 42 votes, Barry Otieno garnered 10 votes, Cleophas Shimanyula had four votes, Sammy Owino ‘Kempes’ got two votes and Tom Alila had a single vote as the remaining candidates, Chris Amimo and Sam Ocholla failed to garner any vote. What could have happened?

It is believed that some State functionaries played a major role in turning around the script in the last 12 hours. Candidates reportedly received several calls from  top Government officials and their telephones were tapped to ensure that any monetary funds that exchanged hands could be flagged and the recipient was immediately called or texted and warned against voting for selected camps.

Money transfer services were reporhedly also jammed at the venue of the elections for at least two hours and resumed after doors had been closed and more than 90 per cent of the voters had voted.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen posted in his tweeter account after the exercise saying: “I made a solemn promise during my vetting for this docket that I would unlock the election impasse in FKF and that we shall enforce the law of term limits. That promise has been fulifilled today following the election of the new office-bearers of FKF.”

He added: “Congratulations Hussein Mohammed and McDonald Mariga on your election today as the president and vice-president of FKF respectively. Congratulations to all other elected office bearers. I have not an iota of doubt that you are the best possible team that will inject new dynamism, energy and fresh ideas into the management of our football. I wish to assure you that the government will give you all the support you need to take our football to the next level. This should send a message to all federations who frustrate efforts to hold elections that their time is up, because good governance in our sport is not negotiable.”

Dorris Petra conceded after the first round of voting and congratulated Mohammed for winning the contest, urging him to take the sport to the next level.

A repeat election was conducted and Mohammed gannered 67 votes, surpassing the 50 per cent margin by a big margin.

Hussein Mohammed thanked the Electoral Board for a job well done and promised to work with all stake holders to make the country’s football great.

“Thank you for believing in a fresh start,” said Mohammed, whose deputy will be former Kenyan international and Inter Milan midfielder McDonald Mariga. “The victory is for every fan, player, and club dreaming of a better future,” the new head of Kenyan football said.

Hussein’s ‘Fresh Start’ managed to secure seven National Executive Committee (NEC) positions, while ‘Team Blue’ secured two regional positions as indipendent candidate Kerubo Momanyi won the Women Representative title.