After suffering a blow in his quest to clinch another four-year term after the Sports Disputes Tribunal annulled the football polls, Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa has revealed that the federation will be awaiting FIFA’s directive in light of the SDT ruling made on Tuesday.
In a judgment delivered via a video link amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus, SDT chairman John Ohaga nullified the county elections held on Saturday and as well put brakes on the national polls that had been slated for March 27.
He cited an unreasonable Electoral Code, which the Tribunal termed a ‘violation of the principle of free and fair elections contemplated by Section 46 (6) as read with Paragraph (d) of the Second Schedule to the Sports Act and Article 81 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.’
Earlier last month, FKF had petitioned the Tribunal against the Sports Registrar for clarity on some sections of the Sports Act. The Tribunal then enjoined cross petitioners in the case.
“All our arguments at the Tribunal (against the Registrar of Sports), have been upheld by the Tribunal. Almost all of our cross petitioners’ arguments against us have also been dismissed,” said Mwendwa on the federation website.
“To our shock, the SDT chair moved to nullify the entire election, after saying that the Electoral Board and Appeals Committee was proper and that we did proper public participation. We don’t agree with the decision but we will go by it and await FIFA’s directive.”
The president further moved to calm fears that the federation was disjointed.
“Our constitution, as well as the ruling delivered yesterday, states that I remain in office. The secretariat is also in office and football is still in the right direction,” he said.
Ohaga sought to allay Mwendwa’s fears of the possibility of a decision interfering with the elections attracting a possible ban by FIFA suggesting that those concerns may have been somewhat mitigated by the coronavirus and its effect and impact on sporting activities globally.
“Hopefully, the football community can use this COVID-19 imposed hiatus to rectify the defects that the Tribunal has identified in the electoral process and to close ranks so that Kenya can emerge from this period of isolation as a stronger footballing nation with better governance structures and leaders who are accepted as legitimate by the entire football family,” Ohaga said.
FIFA is in the next two days set to make a decision on the matter after going through the Tribunal ruling.
