•Namwamba reiterated the need for the officials to respect their term limits as a way of bolstering the credibility of the sports administration.
•The CS further warned sports federations in the country to comply with the Sports Act or face the full wrath of the law.
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Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has urged federation officials to vacate office voluntarily upon the expiry of their tenures.
Speaking on Tuesday, the CS noted a 'disturbing tendency' where federation heads have employed unscrupulous means to extend their stay in office.
Namwamba reiterated the need for the officials to respect their term limits as a way of bolstering the credibility of the sports administration. “If your constitution has term limits, please obey the term limits because even the presidents of this country obey term limits,” Namwamba remarked.
“Some of you were in office when Daniel Moi was president; they were there when Mwai Kibaki was in power, they were still in office during the reign of Uhuru Kenyatta and are still in leadership this time around when William Ruto is president and I am sure they are planning to say goodbye to Ruto as they remain in office,” he added.
The CS further warned sports federations in the country to comply with the Sports Act or face the full wrath of the law.
Namwamba said all sports associations are yet to align themselves with the Sports Act 2013 will be dealt with accordingly.
The CS wondered why it was so difficult for the federations to abide by the law and promised relentless support for associations that have made a bold step to comply with the Sports Act 2023.
“Just follow the Sports Act accede to the law and respect the constitution of Kenya. We will never touch a federation that is following the law and engaging in good governance, but for those who don’t want to follow the law, we will come for you,” Namwamba remarked.
The CS urged federation errant federation honchos to carry their crosses, noting that the government will not relent in efforts to cleanse the mess bedeviling the country’s sports terrain.
Namwamba lashed out at the tendency of some federations to seek refuge in the safety of international sports bodies.
The CS said the government is in constant contact with respective global federations to ensure compliance with Kenyan laws.
"I usually talk to your international bodies. I talk to Fifa, World Aquatics, and the others. Don’t think you are the only ones talking to them and I have made it clear to most of them that sports in Kenya are big, sports in Kenya are important and we have told them to help us so that sports in Kenya can be run properly.”
The review of the Sports Policy (2002) and Sports Act (2013) has started with the changes expected to be ready in July for discussion in Parliament.
The proposed amendments seek to improve governance structures in sports federations to help curb incessant squabbles.