Football Kenya Federation Presidential aspirant Twaha Mbarak has backed calls from the government for federations to comply with the Sports Act.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mbarak praised Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba for taking a tough stance to ensure Sports Act compliance.
"My full support goes to Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba in his call for local sports governing bodies to adhere to the Sports Act or risk facing legal action," Mbarak remarked.
"It is perturbing to see that several federations have not responded to the government's incessant appeal for adherence to the established body of legislation."
Mbarak censured the current FKF administration for turning a blind eye to the Sports Act and called for immediate compliance.
"Regrettably, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is one of the organizations culpable for not having complied with the Sports Act of 2013," Mbarak stated.
"This is a perilous scenario, particularly as we prepare for the upcoming elections, the date of which remains unknown."
Mbarak said such a glaring loophole might be exploited by the status quo to jeopardize the credibility of the upcoming polls and perpetuate their tenure in office, much to the chagrin of genuine Kenyan football fans who deserve better leadership.
"We have already seen a troubling tendency in which opponents of progress purposefully target delegates perceived to be in opposing camps to prevent them from voting.
"Federations have repeatedly violated the Sports Act to exert influence on the electoral process. This gives them an unfair advantage over their rivals on election day."
Mbarak said unless authorities take a bold step to tame the vice, genuine sports fans will still be subjected to the usual theatrics that have persistently plagued the local football landscape.
"The best way to address this anomaly is to make all federations abide by the Sports Act to close any gaps that might be intended to compromise the real outcome of the election," Mbarak said.
"Strict adherence to the spirit of the constitution is equally important for FKF and FIFA, the world football governing body," he concluded.
