Contestants for the Cricket Kenya leadership posts: Nairobi Businessman Bhavesh Gohil (left), Director of Women’s Cricket, Pearlyne Omamo and former Kenyan international Tom Tikolo.
On April 19, 2026, local cricket stakeholders will elect new officials of Cricket Kenya (CK). The electoral window provides the stakeholders with an opportunity to fix leadership problems at the federation, which have dragged on for more than 20 years.
From a high of reaching the semi-finals of the 2003 International Cricket Council World Cup in the longer version of the game, Kenyan cricket has witnessed a steady decline on the field due to persistent leadership wrangles and mismanagement of the federation’s funds.
Kenya boasts five appearances in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup; four in the One Day International (ODI), which the country achieved in 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2011, and one in the T20 (2007). Kenya is no longer a powerhouse in the sport and has been overtaken in the region by Uganda in terms of performance on the pitch, talent development, and management of the game.
Kenya has been at loggerheads with the ICC on many occasions over non-compliance with the membership criteria. In 2005, ICC halted funding for CK (then known as Kenya Cricket Association) for seven months over allegations of misappropriation of funds. In 2018, ICC issued a suspension notice to Kenya following glaring governance lapses within CK and non-compliance with ICC Membership Criteria.
Amina Mohammed, who was the Sports Cabinet Secretary at the time, met ICC officials to resolve the issue and got Kenya a six-month grace period. However, the internal wrangles at CK ended up at the court, attracting another suspension of funding in 2020.
Year-long stakeholder engagement facilitated by the government birthed the 2021 CK Constitution, and elections were held the following year in February. ICC resumed funding for Kenya in June 2023, but under the controlled funding programme.
Last month, the world cricket governing body, the ICC, announced that it was halting funding CK for a period of six months for being non-compliant with its membership criteria.
ICC further warned that if CK fails to address the areas of non-compliance, it risks being suspended or expelled from the international body.
The influential post of chairman has attracted two candidates in the Cricket Kenya elections planned for April 19.
According to the list of eligible candidates released by the Independent Elections Panel (IEP) on Wednesday, cricket administrator and businessman, Bhavesh Gohil, 51, will contest CK’s chairmanship against former Kenyan international Tom Tikolo, who is 64.
The elections will be held at Cricket Kenya’s offices at the Ruaraka Sports Club in Nairobi from 11am. Bhavesh and Tikolo are replacing outgoing chairman Manoj Patel.
Contestants for the Cricket Kenya Chairman post: Nairobi Businessman Bhavesh Gohil (left) and former Kenyan international Tom Tikolo.
Other positions to be filled during the elective Annual General Meeting are those of vice chairperson, treasurer, director of county associations, and that of director of women’s cricket. According to the 2021 Cricket Kenya Constitution, the new office holders will serve for four years and will be eligible for another four-year term.
Out of the five officials elected on February 26, 2022, former Kenyan international Pearlyne Omamo, who currently serves as the Director of Women’s Cricket, is the only one who has sought re-election. Ms Omamo, who is an advocate of the High Court, is a former captain of the national women’s team. She is running unopposed for the seat of vice chairperson.
Pearlyne Omamo.
The rest of the outgoing officials, including chairman Manoj Patel, did not seek re-election. IEP disqualified suspended treasurer Kalpesh Solanki on the grounds that he is still under suspension.
While Maina Kamau resigned as vice chairperson in May 2025, former Kenyan international Kennedy Obuya, who has been serving as CK’s Director of County Associations, is not running in the elections.
Manoj, whose tenure will end after the election, has little to show for the four years he has been in office. His tenure has been riddled with divisions, alleged corruption, persistent delays in player salaries, and poor preparations and performances by the national teams.
Initially, Bhavesh had planned to contest for the vice chairperson seat that fell vacant in May last year following the resignation of Kamau.
However, after Sports Registrar Rose Wasike cancelled CK’s Special General Meeting on October 19, 2025, because CK’s council was ineligible since all the registered County Cricket Associations had not conducted elections, Bhavesh upgraded his ambitions to the position of chairperson. A new vice chairperson was to be elected at the cancelled meeting.
He has been in charge of the team at Nairobi Gymkhana Club since 2019, and has often bailed out cash-strapped national teams through payment of players’ allowances during international assignments. Bhavesh, who is engaged in the logistics business, also organises cricket tournaments.
Tikolo was the first indigenous player to captain Kenya, leading the country to its maiden ICC Trophy final in Nairobi in 1994 when Kenya lost to the United Arab Emirates. He has previously served as Development Officer for East Africa Development and as CK CEO from 2005 to 2009. Tikolo was besmirched by allegations of corruption, leading to his resignation.
In disqualifying Solanki, the IEP noted that he was still serving a one-year suspension imposed by the SGM on May 24, 2025.
Elected as treasurer in the February 26, 2022, election, Solanki was first suspended in August 2024 over corruption allegations.
He has been given five days to appeal the decision to bar him from vying in the coming elections.
The treasurer’s position has attracted former Kenya international and CK Players Selection Committee chairman Alfred Njuguna and Chidambaran Subramanian.
Those vying for the Director of County Associations are Damian Omonywa and Vidya Chandrasekhar, while the candidates cleared for the Director of Women’s Cricket role are Charity Wambui and Sarah Kemunto. ENDS.
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