The move by the Ministry of Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed to have Normalisation Committee to run Cricket Kenya for the next six months is a step in the right direction, according to former national team skipper, Asif Karim.
On Tuesday, the CS moved to stabilise the sport in the country by appointing the Normalisation Committee, whose mandate will include ensuring the finalisation of the Draft Constitution and validation in line with the requirements of the Sports Act 2013 and the ICC Statutes.
“For years now, we have been calling on the government to take a lead role in bringing sanity in the sport. Even though it’s something that would have been done a long time ago, it’s a welcome move. It’s a seasoned and mature committee that I believe will do a good job,” Karim said. Cricket in the country has been embroiled in leadership squabbles for over three years and the government’s action is meant to bring some sort of order into the game.
The committee will be chaired by retired judge Hon. Lady Justice (Rtd) Joyce Aluoch and will also include another retired member of the bench Hon. Justice (Rtd) Alnashir Visram.
According to the road-map from the sports ministry, the committee should organise for elections between July 7-9 while the new office bearers should be handed over power and an exit report sent to the ministry by early August.
Newly elected Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) chairman, Kanti Rabadia, also lauded the CS for her indulgence. He said the move will finally help bring in a long lasting solution to the troubles that have characterised the sport.
“It’s good having a team that has totally different people from what we were used to. I believe with all the support and goodwill, the team will deliver and get us back on track,” Rabadia.
On his part, former CK treasurer, Ravi Kaul said he hopes the team will give the stakeholders more audience.
However, Karim who captained the national team at the 1997 ICC World Cup in England, asked the committee to consult widely with the cricket fraternity. He also raised reservation on the elections, saying short term elections will not resolve the deep-rooted problem in the sport.
“Elections are not going to solve the long standing problems in the sport. If we are to help the sport, then we should try and first of all use a year or so to iron out some ‘domestic’ issues. Let us calm down and then get into the election,” said the firmer spinner.
The CS noted with concern the management that crisis at CK had led to the federation losing a total of US$1.55 million in ICC grants in 2019 and 2020.
