Herbert Mwachiro: The roadmap to FKF elections

Equity, justice and impartiality are central to successes of contests of sporting and political nature.



The Football Kenya Federation Elections are no different as they in turn determine the direction of our beloved sport and its influence on the communities around and beyond us the long term mainly punctuated by 4 year terms marking a full election cycle.



In the absence of the above, a society (FKF being a subject) welcomes anarchy, mistrust and a return to the jungle environment where no law exists and respect for the same chokes to anabsolute halt.



It’s disappointing that Football in Kenya once again finds itself in such familiar territories thanks to a federation whose mandate has been run down way beyond its shelf life and now at the mercy of the same individuals who have played the greatest role in bringing it down.



Reference is hereby made to the FKF Elections Guidelines, Regulations and Road Map published by the FKF Elections Board on Tuesday 11th August 2020 following instructions by FIFA for the provision of the same.



FIFAs letter to the FKF General Secretary cites two letters sent by the latter to Geneva, Switzerland which are not in the public domain and which ,according to FIFAs letter, indicate to provide a status of sports in Kenya and government measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amongst other unspecified details.



The Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Arts and Culture constituted a Task force to advise on the phased resumption of sporting activities in Kenya. The task force report is yet to be released.



Following the ruling by the SDT on 17th March 2020 in SDT Case No. 3 of 2020 consolidated with Case No. 5 of 2020 , in Section 182 (VIII) of the ruling declared that “the eligibility criteria provided in Section 4 of the Electoral Code was unreasonable and designed to lock out potential aspirants and is therefore a gross violation of the principle of free and fair electionscontemplated by Section 46 (6) as read with Paragraph (d) of the Second Schedule to the Sports Act and Article 81 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010”.



The FKF Electoral Board has amended this criteria, retained requirements that still do NOT meet the threshold for inclusivity and free and fair elections and were not done in consultation with the FKF members and stakeholders.



Furthermore, Section 182 (X) of the said rulingdeclared that “the term of the FKF National Executive Committee (NEC) has come to an end” after a protracted and disputed electoral process.



The fact that not one but two election processes initiated by FKF have been annulled by the Sports Disputes Tribunal, points towards a clear sign that an independent oversight committee to ensure a free and fair process is conducted and to thereafter, guarantee the integrity and sustainability of Kenya’s football management, critical for job creation, revenue generation and inclusive development of the sport through grassroot development and women’s football is needed.



Beyond that and borrowing from world’s best practices, impartiality dictates that an adjudicator works best and in clear view of all competitors when operating from an independent base.



It’s thus still baffling how the Electoral Board still operates from Kandanda House in clear contradiction of it’s core mandate of maintaining impartiality and being free and fair while one of Kandanda House’ current occupants is a competitor in the same election it shall conduct and whose continued stay or not is determined by the same election.



It is time we worked in the interests of millions of footballers, referees, coaches, administrators, sponsors and partners and fans (men and women) spread out across Kenya and beyond who are unable to prepare for the resumption of football activities due to the current impasse causedby the elections coupled with the impact of the COVID-19.



As a football stakeholder and FKF Presidential Aspirant, I am willing to work with other football stakeholders, to ensure that there is established from the grassroots a credible, free and fair electoral process as soon as possible that encompasses the views and thoughts of all those who are greatly affected by the prolonged electioneering process.