Football Kenya Federation were left with egg on their face after, for the second time in four months, the Sports Disputes Tribunal annulled the FKF County polls that took place last Saturday and called off the national polls that were earmarked for next weekend.
The Tribunal went further to propose the formation of a Normalisation Committee which, with the blessings of FIFA, will organise fresh football polls, right from the grassroots.
The federation had gone to the SDT last month to have FKF hold elections without following the stringent requirements set by the Sports Registrar, Rose Wasike.
SDT chairman John Ohaga took issue with the FKF Electoral Code that set the ground rules for the electoral process, starting with the nomination requirements and procedure.
“The eligibility criteria at Section 4 of the 2020 Electoral Code are unreasonable and designed to lock out potential aspirants and is, therefore, a gross violation of the principle of free and fair elections,” the Tribunal pointed out.
“Therefore, an order be and is issued declaring the intended elections and the process towards these elections unlawful for non-compliance,” added the ruling that also indicated that the term of office of the National Executive Committee is over.
The Tribunal now has left the ball in the court of the world football governing body, having settled on the third option of requesting FIFA to appoint a Normalisation Committee in relation to Articles 8 and 14 of the FIFA Statutes.
“This is the route that best commends itself to the Tribunal and accordingly this decision will be transmitted to FIFA with the request that it appoints a Normalisation Committee of the Football Kenya Federation, whose mandate would include running the daily affairs of FKF, to review the FKF Constitution 2017 and to organise and conduct the elections for FKF."
"It is hoped that this proposition will commend itself to FIFA and that it will take immediate steps to appoint a Normalisation Committee and advise FKF and the Tribunal of the identity of the persons recommended for such appointment,” read part of the ruling.
Football stakeholders now await the next course of action from FKF President Nick Mwendwa, who will continue in office as ruled by Ohaga alongside members of the Tribunal, Njeri Onyango and Maria Kimanzi.
Meanwhile, Ohaga also allayed fears of a ban by FIFA urging stakeholders to use the COVID-19 imposed hiatus to rectify the defects that the Tribunal has identified.
