The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President Paul Tergat addresses delegates during the Special General Meeting at Westlands Banquet Centre in Nairobi on March 12, 2025.
The positions of Athletes’ Representative (male and female) in the upcoming National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) elections will not be contested.
Instead, the NOC-K executives and candidates have agreed on a selection process that spares athletes from the campaign process ahead of the April 24 elections in what has been described as ‘negotiated democracy’.
Under this arrangement, Athletics Kenya (AK) has been granted the authority to nominate a male representative, while five federations—swimming, volleyball, fencing, judo, and rugby—will jointly select a female representative.
The two will replace former Kenya Sevens captain Humphrey Kayange and two-time Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, who have both served two terms.
Only athletes who competed in the last two Olympic Summer Games—delayed Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024—are eligible for these positions.
This decision effectively excludes sportsmen and women from disciplines that were not represented at the Olympics.
Among those whose names had been floated for the positions but are now ineligible due to this criterion are legendary steeplechaser Ezekiel Kemboi and former 800m world champion Janeth Jepkosgei.
The move was agreed upon last week during a NOC-K executive meeting in Nairobi, as various candidates intensified their campaigns, aligning themselves with the two presidential aspirants: Shadrack Maluki and Francis Mutuku.
The concept was initially introduced during the NOC-K Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 10 last year, presided over by outgoing president Paul Tergat.
Moving forward, NOC-K plans to require all affiliate federations to establish Athletes’ Commissions, which will be responsible for selecting athlete representatives in future elections.
A source who attended the NOC-K executive committee meeting explained the rationale behind the decision, saying, “We thought negotiated democracy was the best approach to save athletes from the murky waters of campaigns. We didn’t want to subject them to a competition.”
The same source revealed that although Athletes' Commissions are an option within the NOC-K constitution, many federations have not yet established them.
“Though not strictly legal, the decision to allocate the male slot to AK was political—so long as all parties agree,” the source added, confirming that both Maluki and Mutuku’s camps had endorsed the arrangement.
Beyond the Athletes’ Representative positions, the battle for NOC-K leadership has intensified. Maluki, the current first vice president, has assembled a strong campaign team that includes Athletics Kenya Youth and Development Director Barnaba Korir as his running mate, Kenya Hockey Union Chairman Nahashon Randiek as his second vice president, Table Tennis Kenya President Andrew Mudibo as secretary general, and little-known Fred Chege from fencing as treasurer.
Mutuku, the outgoing secretary general, has countered with a team that includes Boxing Federation of Kenya President Anthony ‘Jamal’ Otieno as first vice president, outgoing NOC-K treasurer Anthony Kariuki from wrestling as second vice president, Weightlifting Federation’s John Ogolla as secretary general, and outgoing deputy secretary general Shoaib Vayani from shooting as treasurer.
One of the most closely watched races is for the deputy secretary general position, where International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Humphrey Kayange is being fronted by Mutuku’s camp but faces competition from Francis Karugu of softball.
For the deputy treasurer position, Charles Mose from cycling, will battle Paul Otula (basketball), who is backed by Mutuku’s team.
