Football Kenya Federation Electoral Board members from left: Dan Mule, Merceline Sande, Hesbon Owilla, James Waindi and Alfred Ngang’a during their unveiling at the Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi on September 23, 2024.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Electoral Board has named December 7 as the date of the national elections, but questions still linger over its independence.
On Thursday, five-man FKF Electoral board, chaired by Hesbon Owilla, said that the federation’s national elections will be held on December 7 after conclusion of the exercise at the county level on November 9.
According to the roadmap issued yesterday by five-member FKF Electoral Board, the final list of candidates for various posts at the county and national level will be published on November 11, while the list of eligible clubs and delegates will be published on September 30.
The board has also indicated timelines for raising and resolving dispute regarding the voter register, and eligibility of clubs and candidates.
“Due regard has been placed on the requisite minimum qualifications for candidates and so as to achieve inclusivity and participation to the greatest extent possible, the independent Electoral Board adopts the eligibility criterion set out in Article 27 of Fifa statutes, and in line with both the Fifa Standards Electoral Code, and FKF Statutes as detailed below,” the board said in a statement circulated on its behalf by FKF’s communication team.
“To vie for the president and vice president’s seat, a candidate must be an adult Kenyan citizen by birth, with at least five endorsements from any of the FKF Members. He/she must have played an active role in football either as a player, member or an official of FKF in two of the last five years as per the Fifa Statutes. A candidate must satisfy the requirements for leadership and integrity set out in Chapter Six of the 2010 Kenyan Constitution,” the statement went on.
“Those seeking the seat of National Executive Committee Member must be an adult Kenyan citizen by birth, with at least five endorsements from any FKF Members, two of which must be from members domiciled in the region he/she seeks to represent.
“A candidate must have played an active role in football either as a player, member or an official of FKF in two of the last five years as per the FIFA Statutes.”
According to the statement, those seeking to vie for a county or branch seat must be adult Kenyan citizens by birth, and must have at least five endorsements from any FKF Members domiciled in the county he/she seeks to represent.
The candidate must also have played an active role in football either as a player, member or an official of FKF in two of the last five years as per the Fifa Statutes.
In the statement, FKF Electoral Board also stipulated electoral guidelines.
Candidates wishing to submit their nomination papers to the board will be accorded an opportunity to submit their candidature and pay the respective nomination fees, as provided for under the existing FKF Electoral Code and within the timelines stipulated in the Electoral Calendar.
FKF members wishing to withdraw their endorsements and/or endorse a different candidate in accordance with the FKF Electoral Code will need to do so, on days provided for in the electoral calendar.
This will require that a meeting is held by the club officials, minutes signed by the chairperson and secretary, and submitted to the board. No club or FKF branch shall endorse two candidates.
The voter register at the county level shall contain clubs that have participated in the National Super League, Men Division One, Women’s Premier League, Women’s National League, and are not eligible to vote at the national level, regional and county leagues for two (2) of the last five (5) years and are currently active.
At the elections, each club shall be represented by one delegate. The clubs must be domiciled in respective counties.
The voter register at the National Elections shall contain a representatives from each of the 48 counties of FKF, a representative from each of the 18 FKF Premier League clubs.
The board advised any individual (s) with such disputes or complaint to lodge them within the set timelines as published in the Electoral Calendar and accompanied with the following mandatory documents:
League standings for all the number of years the club participated in the FKF leagues, player cards for all players and for all the number of seasons played, fixtures for the number of seasons played, affiliation letter from the relevant FKF branch and/or proof of affiliation to FKF, including proof of any payments made to FKF as affiliation fees.
Members of FKF Electoral Board are Marceline Sande, James Waindi, Dan Mule and Alfred Ng’ang’a.
However, questions remain about FKF Electoral Board’s independence.
There have been loud calls by some stakeholders, some of whom have shown interest in vying, for the electoral board, which has been operating from FKF’s offices at Kandanda House in Nairobi, to shift its operations to another venue to remain neutral and independent.
They include Tom Alila and Hussein Mohammed.Owilla and his team have been operating from Kandanda House while being served by staff at FKF’s headquarters.
On Wednesday while responding to questions during the National Assembly Plenary in Nairobi, Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the current FKF officials must not serve beyond the two-term limit stipulated in the federation’s constitution.
