Why FKF risks deregistration

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is at risk of being declared an illegal organisation.

The government recently threatened to revoke a provisional licence it issued to the federation after it failed to align its operations with the Sports Act 2013.

Nation Sport can confirm that the warning was issued by Sports Registrar Rose Wasike in a letter to the FKF Chief Executive Barry Otieno on September 8, last year.

“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,” said Wasike.

“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.”

That deadline lapsed on December 8.

Another condition the FKF, under president Nick Mwendwa, have failed to fulfil since receiving the Conditional Registration Certificate in May 2018 is reviewing the federation constitution in line with the Kenyan Constitution 2010.

Further, Wasike, in the correspondence copied to Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Principal Secretary Peter Tum, 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”.

Wasike also instructed the federation to present “a clear and time-bound roadmap for the upcoming election of 24th February 2024 that ensures the elections are held and conducted in accordance with the principles of Article 81 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, the provisions outlined in the Sports Act and Sports Registrar Regulations and adhering to the designed timelines.” 

In a separate correspondence to Namwamba dated October 6, 2023, Wasike confirmed receiving “verbal instruction” from the CS to prepare a roadmap for FKF elections on February 24, 2024.

Namwamba, in an address in Parliament weeks earlier, on August 23, said he expected FKF polls to be held in February this year.

“We had an arrangement with Fifa to progress with FKF to where they can hold elections because we have had issues with this federation. I expect them to hold elections as scheduled,” explained Namwamba then.

The FKF and the Sports Registrar have clashed in recent years over legal matters. Wasike declared FKF polls held in 2020 as ‘illegal’ before a compromise was reached. It was the recommendations of a probe report prepared by the Sports Registrar that led to Namwamba’s predecessor Amina Mohamed disbanding FKF in 2021.

The federation, amidst an internal rift, held a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last Saturday that issued a roadmap for fresh elections.

The committee resolved to use the disputed 2020 FKF Electoral Code that will be ratified together with the Electoral Board by an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March.

Several aspirants have already called for an all-inclusive election that should involve County Sports Associations voting.

The last national elections held by the federations four years ago were nullified twice by the Sports Dispute Tribunal because of issues with the electoral code and the Sports Act.

Former internationals Samuel Owino “Kempes” and Macdonald Mariga, ex-FKF boss Sam Nyamweya, football administrators Omondi Aduda, Sam Ocholla and Hussein Mohammed, who is considered a front-runner, have declared an interest in the top seat.

Mwendwa has served two terms and is ineligible to seek a third tenure, according to the Sports Act.