A high-powered delegation of sports stakeholders leave tonight for Zurich, Switzerland for crucial talks with world football governing body, Fifa over the impending Football Kenya Federation elections.
FKF president Nick Mwendwa revealed that he, alongside Sports CS Amina Mohammed, Sports Disputes Tribunal chairman John Ohaga and Sports Registrar Rose Wasike will be meeting with top Fifa officials from tomorrow to update them on the fresh football elections that were ordered by the SDT.
“We want to ensure we are all on the same page when it comes to election matters and the management of football in the country. We have planned for fresh elections as ordered and we will be updating Fifa on the same,” Mwendwa disclosed on the sidelines of yesterday’s Special General Meeting.
The meeting adopted the FKF Electoral Code as well as accepted the nomination of eight individuals to the FKF Electoral Board that will have its first meeting on Monday to elect their chairman as well as set the ground rules for the start of the election process.
“The members have unanimously adopted the elections code but Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards abstained in the matter of adoption of the elections board,” Mwendwa said.
Leopards’ chairman, Dan Shikanda, explained that there was nothing sinister in his decision to abstain from the matter of the electoral board because he had come in late and was not conversant with the members decision hence the reason why he opted out.
While addressing the thorny issues of sub branches, Mwendwa explained that the 2017 FKF Constitution that was inaugurated in Mombasa increased branches to 48 with 28 sub branches converted to the branch level. He said it was not feasible for FKF to hold sub branch elections in the 290 constituencies as the cost was so high.
“On average, holding elections at the sub branches will cost an average of Sh500,000 in one day and that would be too costly for us at the moment. We want to hold the branch and national elections first and then we will hold the sub branch polls in a staggered manner,” Mwendwa told more than 70 delegates at the SGM.
The FKF NEC insisted that all aspiring candidates for chairmanship and FKF president must have running mates so as to avoid squabbles brought about by differences in opinions should candidates from different camps win the top two seats.
Mwendwa confirmed that the elections will be held before the end of March.