NOC-K election crisis deepens as New Dawn faction rejects IEBC’s credibility

By , July 2, 2025

Team ‘New Dawn’, led by National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) outgoing First Deputy President Shadrack Maluki, now believes the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) cannot conduct a credible election over allegations of interference by the office of the outgoing Secretary General Francis Mutuku. 

Maluki is lined up against Mutuku in the race to succeed outgoing NOC-K President Paul Tergat, who is exiting the hot seat after serving the stipulated maximum of two Olympic cycles. 

In a letter addressed to six key stakeholders, and copied to Cabinet Secretary of Sports Salim Mvurya and the Parliamentary Committee on Sports and Culture, Team ‘New Dawn’ called on the entire NOC-K Executive Committee to resign and let the outgoing President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Paul Tergat hold brief for purposes of continuity of Olympic programs. 

The letter is signed by 13 Federations and addressed to the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Adhiambo, CEO and Commission Secretary IEBC, NOC-K President Tergat, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), IOC Director of NOC Relations James Macleod/Associate Director Jerome Poivey and CEO of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Abdi Mohamud. 

Team Maluki’s “New Dawn” also wants the IOC to sanction individual officials who have been using NOC-K funds in their court cases “yet they are candidate.” 

“IEBC was appointed by the General Assembly to conduct the elections but so far as witnessed, the actions of the Returning Officer (Muthega Gakuru) cannot be held in a transparent and fair manner and that’s why we wish to call upon the LSK to conduct the remaining process of the process,” said the 13 heads Federations. 

The Team also called on the DCI’s Economic Crimes Division to investigate allegations of forged Certificates of Good Conduct of some officials who were cleared for the elections. 

New Dawn cast aspersion on their political adversaries (led by outgoing Secretary Mutuku), accusing them of altering the list of voting delegates initially released by the IEBC on April 16. 

“On June 12, Francis Mutuku, the outgoing Secretary General and aspirant for the post of president in the elections, circulated another list which had changes of voters, a list that had not been circulated by IEBC. On the eve of the elections, June 18, 2025, Francis Mutuku circulated to the NOC-K Executive Committee. Members, after being pushed, again another list of delegates and people who will be allowed to be part of the adjourned NOC-K congress,” said Team New Dawn. 

Team New Dawn also noted that attempts to reach out to IEBC’s Gakuru on areas of concern have fallen on deaf ears. 

“Instead, the Returning Officer was quick to communicate to NOC-K seeking opinion in reopening the nomination for the deputy treasurer’s post following the death of Basketball Federation nominee, the late Mr Paul Otula,” the New Dawn said. 

On and off elections

The NOC-K elections have been called off twice in April and June. April’s adjournment was occasioned by the fact that four affiliate federations had failed to agree on who would vote in the elections. 

In June, the High Court in Eldoret suspended the elections. In a ruling delivered by Justice Reuben Nyakundi, the court said the polls stand suspended pending the hearing of an application by Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) chair Andrew Mudibo. 

On the eve of the June election, the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) ruled that Mudibo — who is vying for the Secretary General’s post — was irregularly nominated for the position, for reasons that his parent federation, KTTA, was not a duly registered sports organization under the Sports Act, 2013, as at the time of its participation in the NOC-K electoral process. 

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