Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has thrown his weight behind Kenya Aquatics' stabilisation in their attempt to solve the swimming impasse in the country.
The CS said the wrangles have taken far too long to clear and that it's time the matter was put to rest through an election.
“I have instructed the stabilisation committee to work with speed, alongside the stakeholders, to ensure we conduct the elections next month,” said Namwamba.
Namwamba said he has held meetings with the petitioners — Margaret Mwasha and Conrad Thorpe — and urged them to drop their court cases to ensure the long-awaited elections go ahead.
"Yes, I have had meetings to tell them to drop the court cases so that we can all be on the same page. We are waiting to see if they will do that,” added Namwamba.
The CS said he has also instructed the Sports registrar to work with speed to ensure clubs are registered for voting purposes.
The petitioners wanted clarity on the voting process whether to go universal suffrage where athletes should participate or to use the delegate system.
Traditionally, Kenyan sporting federations use the delegates system and some swimming stakeholders prefer to have counties and clubs in the voting process since the majority of Kenyan swimmers are underage and, therefore, cannot vote.
However, sources indicate that neither the petitioners nor the government are willing to cede ground on the matter with time running out, fast.
World Aquatics, through executive director Brett Nowicki, handed Kenya a lifeline in August when they gave the stabilisation committee 90 days to conduct the elections. The country is currently suspended from international events.
The elections were scheduled for July 8 at Moi Stadium, Kasarani but could not go on due to a pending court case filed in March 2021.
World Aquatics suspended the Kenya Swimming Federation on June 28, 2022, and formed a Stabilisation Committee led by South Africa's Jace Naidoo, Moses Mwose of Uganda alongside National Olympic Committee of Kenya secretary general Francis Mutuku.
Nairobi County Swimming Association secretary Kenneth Karani said as long as the court case is still there, he does not see the polls happening.
