CS Murkomen wants FKF Elections Board to explain Mwendwa’s eligibility

Cabinet Secretary for Sports Kipchumba Murkomen wants the Football Kenya Federation Elections Board to clear the air over FKF president Nick Mwendwa’s eligibility as a running mate for Doris Petra in next month’s polls.

While addressing the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture on Tuesday, Murkomen said they had discussed the issue with Mwendwa though there are legal hurdles.

“We had a very honest conversation with Nick and we came to the conclusion that he could not run for another term,” Murkomen said.

“Nonetheless, we must contend with the legal dilemma of whether someone who is ineligible to serve as president can still serve as vice president. Can you run for vice president or deputy president if you have already served out your term limit?” 

Drawing a comparison to national politics, Murkomen asked if President William Ruto would be eligible to run for office again as a running mate after serving out his entire term.

“To put it plainly, President William Ruto is not eligible to run as the deputy president in 2032,” he said.

“I have had an open conversation with Nick and requested that he read our constitution. To become a vice president, a person must first be eligible to serve as president. That is because he or she can take over as president if the president becomes temporarily incapacitated,” Murkomen  said.

The FKF Elections Board should, therefore, take full accountability and deal with the problem before it is too late.

Murkomen said it would be regrettable for Petra to have her win overturned in the event of a victory.

“I think it will be in order for the FKF Elections Board to stop people from coming to my office because I’m not the one running the elections. I think it is important for the committee to publicly pronounce itself on this issue to avoid a situation where after the elections people will go to the courts and the tribunal (Sports Disputes Tribunal) or petition the cabinet secretary.”

Eight candidates will battle for the top seat in the highly-anticipated polls scheduled for December 7.

They are Doris Petra, Barry Otieno, Tom Alila, Sam Ochola, Cleophas Shimanyula, Chris Amino, Sammy Owino and Hussein Mohammed.