Mwendwa submits papers, Nyamweya ‘disowns’ FKF polls
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Nick Mwendwa was on Saturday cleared by the Electoral Board to seek re-election for the rearranged national polls set for March 27.
The national elections had initially been set for December 7 but were nullified by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) which found a number of illegalities.
Mwendwa returned his nomination papers to the board which is expected to publish the final list of candidates this week. The national elections will be preceded by county polls set for March 14.
“We have submitted our nomination papers to the board members and we have received an acknowledgement slip as proof that we have complied with the rules as stated in the electoral code,” said Mwendwa moments after aspirants seeking elective positions in the National Executive Committee’s women representative had also returned their papers.
However, the clearance of Mwendwa has not gone down well with his opponents, led by his predecessor Sam Nyamweya.
Under his clarion call ‘no reform, no elections’ Nyamweya is urging all Kenyans and the football family to shun the polls, which he terms illegal, until the SDT rules on a matter before it where FKF is seeking directions on whether the Sports Registrar’s order that they comply with the Sports Act 2013 before holding the polls can be quashed so that they first conduct the exercise and comply later.
Nyamweya says the returning of nomination papers has locked out hundreds of aspirants who adhere to the rule of law and would otherwise not participate in a process that violates the same.
According to the electoral board, the deadline for submission of documents was February 22 before the list of candidates can be published three days later.
Nyamweya further said that FKF county association remain unregistered entities and the purported nomination exercise of candidates for the unregistered entities is an affront to the rule of law and the intelligence of Kenyans.
“The only logical direction is first to register the county sports associations then call for nomination of candidates for the positions in the county association,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“It is our position and the legal position that the purported FKF nomination exercise is an illegality and it’s results and consequences null and void,” added Nyamweya.
