On October 27, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice president McDonald Mariga circulated a notice of a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to be held on November 4 at a Nairobi hotel.
The agenda of the meeting included governance and financial concerns within the federation.
However, on November 2, Fifa wrote to FKF, stopping the meeting from taking place on grounds that it was not properly convened.
Mariga’s notice for the meeting came 12 days after FKF issued a notice for a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be held in Meru tomorrow. Some of the matters expected to be discussed are the resolutions made by nine NEC members on April 24, the implications of those resolutions for the federation’s activities and the conduct of the NEC members.
Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohammed (left) and Vice President McDonald Mariga.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Since April 24, the 14-member FKF NEC has been split into two factions aligned to President Hussein Mohammed and Vice President McDonald Mariga.
NEC members on Hussein’s side are Peter Kamau (Lower Rift), Caleb Amwayi (Western), Abdalla Yusuf (co-opted), Charles Njagi (Eastern), Ahmed Dabar (North Eastern) and Ken Rungu (co-opted).
Those on Mariga’s side are Dan Shikanda (Nairobi), Robert Macharia (Central), Kerubo Momanyi (Women representative), Benard Lagat (Upper Rift Valley), Gabriel Mghendi (Coast), and Collins Kalee (Nyanza).
The fallout originated from a decision by the Mariga-led faction to pass a resolution suspending Hussein, acting General Secretary Dennis Gicheru and nominated NEC member Abdullahi Yussuf over allegations of a Sh42.48 million insurance fraud concerning the 2024 African Nations Championship.
The Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and the High Court later issued an injunction against the resolutions by the Mariga-led faction until a case filed by the federation is heard and determined. Fifa also found that the trio were not properly suspended. So how did Mariga contravene the guidelines on holding an FKF NEC meeting? According to the letter from Fifa, the information and documents submitted in support of the November 4 NEC meeting were based on a request initially submitted on May 26.
The World football governing body stated that the documents indicated that following the May 26 request for a NEC meeting, the federation subsequently held a NEC meeting on July 11 and issued notices for further NEC meetings. Fifa added that two signatories to the May 26 request have since withdrawn their support for it. “In these circumstances, it would appear that the request of May 26, 2026 can no longer be relied upon as a valid procedural basis for convening the meeting of November 4, 2026,” read part of the letter signed by Fifa’s Senior MA Governance Service Manager Bruno Comicholi.
The process of convening an FKF NEC meeting is guided by Article 38 of the FKF Constitution. Article 38 (1) states that NEC must meet at least once every three months, while Article 38 (2) stipulates that the FKF president is the person tasked with calling for NEC meetings. However, the article adds that if 50 per cent of the NEC members request a meeting, the president must convene it within 21 days. If the president fails to do so, the NEC members who requested for the meeting may convene it themselves. Article 38 (3) states that the FKF president must comply with the agenda and that members may propose the agenda items, which must be submitted at least seven days before the meeting.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president, Hussein Mohammed speaks to the media in Nairobi on May 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
The agenda must also be circulated at least seven days before the meeting. Article 40 (1) of the FKF Constitution requires more than 50 per cent of the NEC members to be present for a meeting to take place.
Article 40(2) requires decisions to be made by a majority of valid votes cast. FKF NEC is made up of 14 members.
Mohammed and Gicheru have, on several occasions, issued notices for FKF NEC meetings that have failed to take place because of a lack of a quorum, as the Mariga camp kept away.
NEC Western representative Caleb Amwayi and his Lower-Rift counterpart Peter Kamau shifted from Mariga’s faction to Hussein’s, meaning the two camps became numerically even, with seven members each.
