The quest to hold Football Kenya Federation (FKF) elections could suffer yet another setback after eight aspirants once again petitioned the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) to temporarily halt the exercise.
The six - Samson Nyamweya, Lordvick Aduda, Alex Ole Magelo, Steve Mburu, Twaha Mbarak and Nicholas Musonye - are all keen to unseat incumbent Nick Mwendwa.
“It is time FKF followed the rule of law. All clubs should be allowed to vote and the eligibility criteria checked. If that happens, then we are ready for elections even tomorrow,” explained Nyamweya.
The other petitioners are Angeline Mwikali, who is keen on reclaiming the National Executive Committee (NEC) member’s seat for Eastern region, and Michael Esakwa, who served as general secretary during Nyamweya’s reign as FKF boss between 2011 and 2015.
They have sued FKF Electoral Board, its chairperson Kentice Tikolo and FKF. In the said petition dated August 14 and seen by Nation Sport, the eight, plus representatives from Bondeni and Chepterit football clubs, have petitioned the sports court to declare the recent electoral guidelines released by FKF’s Electoral Board as null and void.
“The petitioner humbly prays for a declaration that FKF cannot hold its elections until a clear eligibility criterion that is all-inclusive and fair for candidates and voters is set and applied in accordance with the Constitution of Kenya, the Sports Act, and the FKF Constitution,” the 28-page petition states in part.
“(The petitioner also prays) for a declaration that the eligibility criteria for candidates in the FKF Elections, Guidelines, and Regulations issued by the FKF Electoral Board on August 11 are unconstitutional and unlawful for non-compliance with Article 81 of the Constitution of Kenya and the Ruling of the SDT 3 and 5 of 2020.
The SDT has twice nullified FKF polls in the last eight months, with its chairman John Ohaga citing illegalities and irregularities in the process.
Separate cases have also been filed at the commercial courts in Mombasa, Murang’a, Kericho, and Nairobi by football members challenging the SDT rulings.
Tikolo announced on Tuesday that fresh polls will now take place on September 19 at the County level, and October 17 at the national level. This amid reports splinter FKF groups could be planning to hold parallel elections even as the government watches on.
And in a related development, another FKF aspirant, Herbert Mwachiro, has accused the FKF Electoral Board of "bias" for operating from FKF’s Kandanda House headquarters. He has called for a free and fair exercise.
