Nyamweya faces tough contest as FKF elections kickoff
The process got underway Wednesday afternoon after the 77 eligible voting delegates were verified and the meeting resolved to align FKF with the Sports Act, 2013 to ward off any potential legal challenges to the new office after Cabinet Minister, Dr. Hassan Wario, told a Parliamentary Committee the governing body was illegal on the eve of the exercise.
Incumbent president, Sam Nyamweya who is facing five other contestants to the top job moved to adopt the first agenda of conforming to the act when the delegates, FIFA representatives and media finally settled inside the plenary hall in the gymnasium more than two hours behind the scheduled start at 10pm.
His key rivals, Ambrose Rachier and Nick Mwendwa seconded the adoption that saw FKF finally with a clause to amend the governing body’s constitution once the new office set in.
FKF Secretart General, Michael Esakwa, who will handle the transitional process from the old to new management read the provisions of the Act to delegates noting they conflicted with statutes of world governing body FIFA.
Primo Carvalho, FIfa’s top representative to the polls told the gathering, “We will work with the new president and we want time to sturdy the Sports Act and help FKF to work on a new constitution,” paving way for the meeting to adopt the first item on the agenda.
The wish of some of the delegates to start with the elections where the president, vice-president and members of the National Executive Committee will be voted in simultaneously in three polling stations was shot down by Nyamweya with the support of his competitors for the top seat.
Earlier, leading candidates were confident they would be given the mandate to run Kenya’s football for the next four years after an exercise that was postponed four times finally saw the light of day.
“I’m preparing for my victory speech,” Mwenda who is associated with Team Change told as he entered the venue with pomp and colour as he was ushered in a convoy of more than 30 vehicles.
Rachier, who is making a second stab at the seat after losing soundly to Nyamweya on October 28, 2011, left it all to the delegates but maintained, “The time is right for my administration.”
Nyamweya who has come under critisicm for the plummeting standards of the game under his watch began the day by warding off claims he had stepped down for Rachier.
“We shall know in a few hours. I will make a big statement. I’m still in it and I believe I will get the mandate to finish the project I started,” the incumbent said.
The polling exercise will be conducted by the Institute of Education and Democracy under the watch of the FKF Electoral Board led by Donald Kipkorir.
Report by Waihiga Mwaura, Jacob Icia and Charity Muturi
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