Top AK officials want orders to vacate office stayed

The officials were further barred from seeking fresh mandate, having continuously served for eight years as provided for in the Sports Act 2013. AK’s last polls were held in 2012.

An AK top official who sought anonymity told Citizen Digital they were seeking to be granted anticipatory bail as they ponder their next move, adding that the injunction would be crucial as they were in the middle of preparing for the Africa Games and Paris Olympics events.

“We can’t let it go, at least for now. This is because things will be in disarray remembering that we’re already preparing our athletes for major events this year. But we respect the ruling and we’ve dispatched our lawyers to do the necessary as we think about the way forward,” the official told Citizen Digital.

Formation of a normalisation committee could be on the way to run athletics affairs until AK reviews its constitution and elect new officials within 90 days as directed by Justice Lawrence Mugambi.

However, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba Thursday refused to make a comment on the ruling, saying he was yet to go through it and so was AK supremo Jackson Tuwei.

Earlier this year, Namwamba had reiterated the need for the federation officials to respect their term limits as a way of bolstering the credibility of the sports administration.

“If your constitution has term limits, please obey the term limits because even the presidents of this country obey term limits. Some of you have been in office since the late Mwai Kibaki era and that's not good. Change is always good,” Namwamba said at that time.

The current AK office set up comprises President Tuwei, his deputy Paul Mutwii, David Miano (Treasurer), Barnaba Korir, Dimy Kisalu, Benjamin Njoga, and Elizabeth Keitanny as members.

“The officials and Executive Committee of the 1st respondent (Athletics Kenya) who have been in office for a cumulative period of 8 years... have served their terms in full and must forthwith vacate office," read part of the judgement.

“They shall be ineligible to contest for any position in the organisation."

The case had been launched by athletes, led by two-time Boston marathon champion Moses Tanui, Wilson Boit and Mary Chemweno - and seven others.