Kudos to County football associations for getting Sports Registrar nod
Sam Nyamweya
I wish to express myself on the County football associations registration, elections and football activities in general, which forms the heart of the long-standing stalemate on the legality of the current office bearers of football in the country.
The legitimacy of the leadership of the federation in charge of football cannot and will never be divorced from absolute compliance to the requirements of the Sports Act 2013 (amended 2018) and I take this chance to laud those grassroots leaders who have opted to demonstrate their fidelity to the rule of law by subjecting themselves to the test of Statute and the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
I must salute them for their courage to do everything possible to have the requisite documents, including the mandatory clearance under Chapter Six of our Constitution on the integrity of persons holding public office.
I am particularly proud to note that more than 30 County Football Associations have earned clearance by the Sports Registrar having met the requirements of Sections 46 and 47 of the Sports Act 2013 and that more than a dozen of those counties have already held elections in accordance with Rule 20 of the Sports Registrar’s Regulations 2016.
It is more gratifying that several other counties are set to hold their polls in the coming days and weeks, with a view to ensuring they have the full legal mandate to run football affairs in their respective counties.
Nairobi, Mombasa, Trans Nzoia, Mandera and Nandi, among others have already rolled out their activities at the grassroots after successfully holding their elections.
It is also encouraging that many of those in possession of interim certificates are also running football activities pending elections, which have got the Sports Registrar’s green-light.
Compliance with the law is the hallmark of patriotism and demonstrates the highest integrity and respect for the high calling that is leadership and I would therefore urge the leadership of the Counties to shun the masqueraders who have refused to comply with the laws of the land and work with the CFA teams across the country that have subjected themselves to the test of the law.
I dare call on the Council of Governors, led by His Excellency Martin Wambora as the chairman to declare the individuals led by Nick Mwendwa persona non-grata for their failure to earn legal identity and instead work with the CFAs to develop grassroots football.
Once again, and in furtherance of my mantra and philosophy that football belongs to the community, declare my unwavering support to the CFAs in their bid to secure justice for Kenyan football and rescue the beautiful game from the cannibalism visited upon it by Mwendwa and his sympathisers.
May I remind all the CFAs that their obligation to ensure observance of COVID-19 protocols in the conduct of their affairs is one they must take very seriously in the spirit of respect for authority and as a measure of guaranteeing for all, especially the players and other stakeholders in the era of the Coronavirus pandemic. - The writer is a former FKF president
