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Patrick Korir
Caption for the landscape image:

Why Football Kenya Federation elections are a high-stakes game

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 Nairobi City Stars CEO Patrick Korir speaking on behalf of a section of Football Kenya Federation delegates in Nairobi on March 15, a day before the aborted FKF AGM.


Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Special General Meeting (SGM) on Saturday at Sports View Hotel in Nairobi is expected to set the ball rolling for the long-awaited national elections.

The federation will be hoping that this time round the meeting will take place unencumbered

A planned Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 16 was aborted after a High Court order issued by Justice Olga Sewe in Mombasa.

Sports journalist Milton Nyakundi had filed a case questioning the legality of the AGM and the capacity of the conveners to call for it.

Another ruling on July 30 by Lady Justice Janet Mulwa barred the current office holders from conducting any business on behalf of the federation, including holding the AGM until the case challenging their legality was determined.

However, FKF got a reprieve on August 1, when the High Court in Nairobi suspended the ex-parte orders

The FKF National Executive Committee (NEC) consequently met on August 9 and resolved to call for the SGM.

The meeting will set the stage for the polls, by constituting an electoral board and voting for the adoption of the controversial 2019/2020 FKF Electoral Code.

The Electoral Code is a hot potato since it is what determines among other issues, those who are eligible to vie for various positions including the federation’s presidency.

Part of the introduction of the electoral code says “it regulates the FKF elections and is designed to ensure transparency and fairness in the federation’s electoral process. It is crafted to ensure that the structure of FKF finally ascends from 20 branches to 48 counties as agreed in the FKF constitution ratified by the FKF General Assembly on 18 November 2017.”

Electoral board

Those who have been proposed as members for the electoral board are; lawyer Hesbon Owila (chairman), Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (Sjak) president James Waindi, Alfred Ngang’a, Dan Mule, and Marceline Sande.

The NEC based its decision to call for the SGM on Article 31 (1), (4) and (5) of the FKF Constitution 2017.

Section (1) of the article says that the NEC may convene an SGM at any time while section (4) states that members of the federation shall be notified of the place, date, and agenda at least 14 days before the date of the SGM.

Section (5) says that when an SGM is convened on the initiative of the NEC, it must draw the agendas.

According to a formal convocation letter dated August 9 and signed by FKF Secretary General Barry Otieno, 92 delegates are eligible to take part in the SGM.

They include; 48 FKF county branches, 18 FKF-PL clubs and 10 National Super League (NSL), 10 FKF Division One Clubs, three clubs playing in the Kenya Women’s Premier League, two women’s National Super League clubs and one representative of the Kenya Football Players Welfare Association.

The term for FKF branch officials ends in mid-September while that of the NEC lapses on October 17.