Nyamweya and co. dismiss FKF election preps, hint at plans for own poll

Nyamweya and co. dismiss FKF election preps, hint at plans for own poll

Aspirants that abstained from presenting their nomination papers for the upcoming Football Kenya Federation (FKF) elections have dismissed the exercise and suggested they could resolve to running their own parallel poll.

FKF has twice tried – and has been unsuccessful both times – to hold the elections that should have been concluded last year and that suggestion will throw more cloud of uncertainty on the third attempt which they claim is illegal.

The aspirants – led by immediate former FKF boss Sam Nyamweya –  also intensified calls for the formation of a normalisation committee to take over the running of the national organisation.

Former CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye who was also in the meeting alleged that the aspirants supporting the process are secretly endorsing incumbent Nick Mwendwa’s candidature to retain the FKF top job.

“Being aspirants of various positions for the long-overdue elections led by presidential aspirants Sam Nyamweya, Twaha Mbarak, Nicholas Musonye and Sammy Shollei want to go on record as being uncomfortable with the process to elect new officials for the FKF because it is marred with irregularities, is unconstitutional and blatantly in violation of the basic expectations of a democratic process that is credible, free, fair and verifiable,” read part of their joint statement.

Andrew Amukowa, Moses Mugo and Angeline Mwikali are also part of the cohort, calling for reforms before elections explaining their abstention from nominations before the Kentice Tikolo led Electoral Board, at the FKF Kandanda House.

The aspirants are once again calling for formation of a Normalisation Committee to take over football running in the, insisting the current leadership has failed to deliver elections.

“It is disturbing the way the Government is silent about what is happening. Nominations are going on to sanitize the process in total disregard of the law. We shall not take part in the process that is being run by a board whose members are part of the federation staff,” Nyamweya said.

Essence of the Constitution

Former Gor Mahia CEO Omondi Aduda, former AFC Leopards Chairman Dan Mule, Boniface Osano (a journalist) and former FKF Deputy CEO Herbert Mwachiro on Monday submitted their nomination papers to the board to challenge Mwendwa for the presidency.

The national office polls are set for October 17, with Mwendwa challenging his critics to compete in the ballot rather than from outside the ring.

In a previous interview with Citizen Digital Mwendwa said: “Even if you repeat everything they say, they will not be satisfied because their aim is not to compete democratically to force their selfish agenda. We have twice started the process afresh after the court’s (Sports Disputes Tribunal) directions that nullified elections even though we did not agree with the rulings. Do we go we now disregard the FKF constitution and do the elections their way just to please them? Then what will be the essence of the constitution?”

Mwendwa further avarred: “In many instances where the incumbent wants to unduly extend their period in office, there would be delibarate efforts to delay elections. Contrary to their accusations, we organised the first election three months before culmination of my tenure as it were. Where else have you seen the opposition delaying elections while the outgoing office is willing?”

The SDT nullified the first election in December 2019 and the second one in March 2020, with the simmering battle seeing the Mwendwa serving six months after lapse of his tenure in February 2020, albeit on a court order.

Already, some of the aspirants opposed to the electoral process under the current electoral code have gone back to the SDT to seek orders to stop it again.

“I can confirm I’m among the petitioners who want the process stopped. Nothing has been addressed of the issues that led to the previous nullification of the elections so that we go to the next step,” Musonye said in a previous interview with Radio Citizen.

If SDT’s John Ohaga goes ahead and stops the process, the federation polls will be thrown into doubt again until the case is determined while a go ahead would mean going to the polls next month without the aspirants who did not present their nomination papers to the Electoral Board.

This comes even as conversation about resumption of sports activities continues with the new football season provisionally set to kickoff in mid October 2020.

Tags:

FKF Sam Nyamweya Nicholas Musonye Twaha Mbarak

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