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Sports Registrar, FKF differ over county associations
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno (in white) unveils FKF Electoral Board officials led by Chairlady Kentice Tikolo, Ali Hassan Kauleni (left), Alfred Ndinya and Patrick Onyango (right) at Kandanda House on February 3, 2020.
What you need to know:
- By the time of going to press, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed was not available for comment
- But Wasike said that the registration was done as per the Kenyan Constitution 2010 and the Sports Act 2013
- She ordered the new associations to hold elections and file returns in her office within three months of their registration date
A fresh tussle has emerged between the Sports Registrar Rose Wasike and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) following a move to register five more county football associations.
After Nation Sport exclusively reported the provisional registration of Mombasa County Football Association (MCFA) on July 28, the Registrar has since issued certificates to other associations in Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kwale, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta counties.
By the time of going to press, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed was not available for comment. But Wasike said that the registration was done as per the Kenyan Constitution 2010 and the Sports Act 2013. She ordered the new associations to hold elections and file returns in her office within three months of their registration date.
Sports Registrar Rose Wasike (left) hands over the Kenya Hockey Union men's Premier League trophy to Kenya Police captain Oliver Echenje (right) and the late Kenya Police coach Kenneth Kaunda's wife Amina Juma Kaunda (centre) at City Park Stadium.
Plans for elections
"We are planning for the elections and our team is in constant communication with the Registrar who has spelt out the guidelines," said Goshi Ally, the interim MCFA chairman.
But FKF Secretary General Barry Otieno dismissed the officials of the new associations as persons out to “cause confusion”. He further told members of FKF not to associate themselves with the new outfits.
"Football Kenya Federation's national office has learnt of plans by a small section of non-FKF members to carry out football association elections with aim of occasioning confusion and anarchy in the management and running of football, especially at the grassroots," said Otieno.
"The federation wishes to remind all members of their obligations to both FKF and Fifa statues and the need to adhere to the same while engaging in the aforementioned matter. FKF will continue to monitor the situation with the option of taking the next steps should these exercises infringe on the rights of any member."
Otieno's sentiments imply the newly registered associations will not take part in FKF's county polls on September 19. This could set the stage for the formation of a splinter group like was the case in 2008 when the country had two bodies namely Kenya Football Federation and Football Kenya Limited running the sport.
It could mean Kenya might have two centres of power in football management, one okayed by the sport's world governing body Fifa and the other by the government through the Registrar's office.
The silent battle between the Registrar and FKF blew up in public when the federation defied Wasike's orders to suspend county and national elections last November.
The elections were later nullified by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT).
FKF then dragged the Registrar to the SDT in March this year, to challenge her electoral guidelines and appeared to get a favourable ruling.
SDT chairman John Ohaga stated in his ruling that "a national sports association has no obligation in law to register county sports associations but can create and maintain branches as an organisational unit as it may from time to time deem fit and as provided for in law."
Some FKF presidential aspirants have moved to the SDT to challenge FKF polls for the third consecutive time.
