FKF, Registrar trade barbs as tribunal sets case date
March 17 the a date marked on the calendar of football stakeholders in the country as it is when the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) will make a ruling on whether the Football Federation Elections can go on as planned or not.
This is after FKF went to the SDT seeking directions on whether they can be allowed to conduct elections as scheduled at the end of next month before complying with the Sports Act 2013 since the Sports Registrar has insisted on compliance first before the polls.
Joining the Registrar is a number of interested parties who had been enjoined in the suit, and want the polls stopped over what they term a number of illegalities.
At Tuesday’s hearing at the Milimani Law Courts and in the presence of SDT chairman John Ohaga, FKF boss Nick Mwendwa blamed the Registrar and the other petitioners for being an impediment to the electoral process which has the blessings of world football governing FIFA who have insisted it must conclude before the end of March.
“We have practically abided by all demands of this tribunal after cancellation of the last electoral process yet we are still being taken in circles.
We all know FIFA is watching but our opponents are only keen on seeing us banned.
We set a new Electoral Code, put in place a new Electoral Board and honestly did public participation as per the Constitution,” Mwendwa told a packed courtroom.
Sinister motives
FKF’s lawyer Victor Omwebu took cue from Mwendwa, calling the respondents selfish.
“We must be cognizant of timelines and at the same time be aware of the danger looming.
The hard work the federation has done over the years will go to waste and indeed the national team’s programmes will be heavily affected,” he said.
Mwendwa and Omwebu’s pleas were, however, dismissed by lead counsel Charles Ouma, representing the 69 respondents including the main complainants Cheptirit FC and Bondeni FC.
“They have come up with sinister rules to throw out others which is not in the spirit of the game. My clients are saying unequivocally that football cannot be elitist,” he said.
