CS Amina, SDT working to manipulate FKF polls without compliance to Kenyan law

A section of football stakeholders now say hopes of having a free, fair, transparent and all-inclusive election at the Football Kenya Federation election look dim with Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed and Sports Dispute Tribunal chairman (John Ohaga) seemingly compromised by embattled federation president – Nick Mwendwa.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Mwendwa and Amina and, by extension, Ohaga are bent on forcing the federation elections to go on without compliance to the stipulates of the law.

This has left Registrar of Sports – Rose Wasike, to wage a sole battle to ensure that the law is followed.

It is also emerging that this scheme to force the elections to go on without respecting the law involves some operatives at world soccer governing body, FIFA, who alongside FKF have tried to arm-twist Wasike into submission.

There are fears the political supremacy between State House and Deputy President William Ruto have also come into play, the latter showing open support to Mwendwa.

The FKF boss is a protégé of the DP who funded his campaign in 2016 and is pushing Amina to have the elections held.

Mwendwa has severally been to the DP’s office pleading for his help to convince Amina to have the elections held.

It is against this backdrop that the planned trip by Mwendwa, Amina, Ohaga and Wasike to Zurich last Wednesday was cancelled at the last minute after the government (read State House) refused to give the CS clearance to travel.

“It is important that we understand the real issues she is going to discuss with FIFA,” a source within the ministry stated.

FIFA stood waiting for the delegation and were shocked to learn the trip had been cancelled.

The sports ministry is not comfortable with Mwendwa, who has previously had run-ins with former Principal Secretary in the ministry – Kirimi Kaberia.

Sources at the ministry indicate Amina has been pushed to accept to have the elections proceed without the federation complying with the Sports Act.

In a letter dated 13 December 2019, FKF had requested Amina to proceed with the election first then with a promise to adhere to the rules and regulation.

The letter stated: “FKF wishes to request your good office to allow the federation start the process of complying with the Sports Act fully, immediately after its elections scheduled for March 28, 2020.”

Our sources indicate Amina was considering to allow the FKF carry on with the planned polls by the end of March.

However it is emerging the Kenyan delegation was never going to Zurich with one voice as Wasike maintains no elections will be staged without compliance.

Wasike had stopped FKF from conducting its elections. On a letter dated 15 November 2019, Wasike cited serious violation of the Sports Act 2013 and the Constitution of Kenya.

The rush to push for the Zurich meeting was to have the elections done ahead of compliance as Mwendwa would have wanted but after it failed, time is running on Mwendwa whose term in office is ending on 10 February.

On 12 December 2019, FIFA’s Governance Services Manager Sarah Solemale visited Nairobi and insisted that elections must be held before the date of exiting office by the current FKF officials is reached.

“FIFA is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the compliance of the SDT decision is done and also within a reasonable amount of time. It is important for FKF to know that at the end of the presidential and the National Executive Committee term, which is to end on 10 February 2020, elections must be held,” Solemale said.

On 28 January, the federation held an SGM in which the new elections board was given a go ahead to organize the elections.

But the composition of the SGM also raised eyebrows as the term of office of some of the delegates had already expired.

Ohaga’s hand in the new elections board was visible with the appointment of his close friend – Patrick Onyango.

Ohaga had in December cancelled the elections on grounds that there wasn’t enough public participation done in changing its statute, and that the Electoral Board was not properly constituted.

But he has since changed tune.

“My job is to facilitate compliance with the law. I have no other interests. If Fifa wants clarity as to what it would take to hold an election under the law, then I am willing to help our sports fraternity achieve their objectives,” he said.

Questions are arising why Ohaga who is supposed to be independent in the entire FKF fiasco was ready to board a plane with Mwendwa.

“There are other interested parties in this process. Mwendwa is just a candidate, why should Ohaga who is supposed to be an arbitrator board a plane with one of the candidates?” A soccer stakeholder asked.

This has made Ohaga soften his earlier position on FKF.

In the current scenario, a ban from FIFA is looming unless the federation complies.

Nick Mwendwa has tried to circumvent the electoral process to ensure that he has a smooth landing back to office.

But his miscalculations has led to the current impasse.