The much-anticipated elections of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) were thrown into disarray on Thursday after a dispute over voting rights forced the process to be adjourned indefinitely.
NOCK had scheduled its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday morning, with elections set to follow in the afternoon. However, the election proceedings hit a dead end when four federations—triathlon, handball, volleyball and taekwondo—failed to resolve internal wrangles over who held the legitimate voting mandate between their respective presidents and secretaries.
NOCK secretary general Francis Mutuku revealed that the executive committee, comprising president Paul Tergat, first deputy president Shadrack Maluki, treasurer Eliud Kariuki and himself, were forced to convene an emergency meeting to deliberate on how to break the deadlock.
“Our constitution requires full participation from all member federations. Unfortunately, four federations could not agree on their voting delegates, forcing the executive committee to retreat for an emergency meeting,” Mutuku said. With the executive unable to reach a conclusive resolution, Tergat opted to meet the four federations privately in a bid to forge consensus, but the impasse persisted.
"The executive committee could not come up with a clear decision, so we let the President have a sit-down with the four federations alone to resolve the matter, which they could not," Mutuku added.
Faced with a constitutional dilemma, NOCK was left with no choice but to suspend the elections until legal guidance could be sought. "For the sake of the harmony of the sport and the programme of NOCK not being affected, we adjourn this assembly to seek legal opinion and advice on the next steps," he said.
While no new date was confirmed, Mutuku reassured stakeholders that elections remain a top priority. “We don’t have a new date yet, but we are clear that elections must be held soon so that we can start preparing our teams for international engagements,” he affirmed. "Once the legal matters are dispensed with, we will have an election," he said.
Mutuku urged all federations to streamline their internal governance structures to avoid a repeat of the fiasco. “At the end of the day, it is the federations’ responsibility to ensure clarity in representation. The actions of the four federations have not only stalled this process but cast a shadow over our sport,” he added.
Despite the electoral disruption, NOCK’s operational programmes will continue uninterrupted. “The executive has resolved that the Olympic and Commonwealth Games programmes remain on course, even as we prepare for elections within constitutional timelines,” Mutuku confirmed.
Athletics Kenya’s Barnaba Korir, who was eyeing the first deputy president seat, expressed frustration over the abrupt postponement, describing it as a major letdown for candidates who had mounted full-fledged campaigns. “We were ready for a smooth transition, and this outcome is deeply disappointing,” Korir said. “Like many others, I had invested time and resources into my campaign and was confident of securing a mandate.”
Korir remains optimistic and ready to restart the process. “We are passionate about uplifting sport in this country. We sold our vision, and although this was not our day, we are prepared to do it all over again if that’s what it takes,” he said. He added that the events of the day should serve as a wake-up call to NOCK. “This has to be a learning curve. We can't afford to fail our athletes, who remain at the heart of everything we do,” he added.
