FKF Electoral board clears all nine aspirants to vie for presidency
FKF Election Board Chairman Hesbon Owilla presents an acknowledge slip to FKF Presidential Candidate Kempes Owino (right) and his running mate Evance Kadenge (left) on October 14th, 2024 at Kandanda House.
What you need to know:
- With all aspirants cleared, attention now turns to whether the clubs eligible to vote have complied with the Sports Act, following a letter from the Sports Registrar’s office.
- The registrar's office has registered 44 County Football Associations eligible to vote, raising questions about how the branches will be registered after the elections, since the Sports Act 2013 dictates that only one body can govern a particular discipline.
All nine aspirants for the upcoming Football Kenya Federation (FKF) presidential elections, set for December 9, have been cleared to begin their campaigns.
Nation Sport understands that the nine, who presented their papers last Monday at Kandanda House in Nairobi, met the requirements set by the Electoral Board, and can now focus on winning over the 92 delegates who will vote in the national polls.
Only the coaches’ and referees’ associations will be excluded from voting, as they have not held elections since the terms of their previous office holders expired.
The list of cleared candidates, expected to be made public today, includes Extreme Sports CEO Hussein Mohamed, widely viewed as the frontrunner, alongside outgoing FKF Vice-President, Doris Petra, Gor Mahia Secretary-General, Sam Ochola, former international, Sammy Owino ‘Kempes’, ex-FKF boss, Sam Nyamweya, Barry Otieno, Tom Alila, Cleophas ‘Toto’ Shimanyula, and Chris Amimo.
“All candidates have been cleared by the board because they brought documents to ascertain every requirement according to the law. Now they can concentrate on looking for votes as the board concentrates on working on other modalities,” a source at the Electoral Board told Nation Sport.
The source further explained that it was not within the board’s jurisdiction to rule on whether candidates, who switched positions had violated any laws.
“Every candidate has sufficiently provided documents to show they have been in management of football so none has been locked out, and the process shouldn’t draw any litigation,” added the source.
Concerns had been raised about the eligibility of Hussein Mohamed, the Murang’a Seal Vice Chairman, who was thought to potentially be disqualified for not having been in football management for the past two years.
However, the source clarified that Mohamed provided sufficient documentation proving his involvement.
Regarding Doris Petra’s switch in roles with current FKF President, Nick Mwendwa, the board stated that it is not responsible for deciding on such issues. “Our main task is authentication of documents and following the FKF constitution.”
Both Mwendwa and Petra have already served two terms, totalling the eight-year limit, as president and vice president, respectively. Sports Registrar Rose Wasike had previously expressed concern that the federation had failed to align the FKF Constitution and Electoral Code with Kenyan laws, accusing Mwendwa and Petra of “hiding behind Fifa statutes.”
She criticised both officials for attempting to serve a third term, despite having already completed two four-year terms, and urged the board to bar them from participating in the polls.
With all aspirants cleared, attention now turns to whether the clubs eligible to vote have complied with the Sports Act, following a letter from the Sports Registrar’s office.
The registrar's office has registered 44 County Football Associations eligible to vote, raising questions about how the branches will be registered after the elections, since the Sports Act 2013 dictates that only one body can govern a particular discipline.
