KPL seeks CAF intervention over FKF declaration that ‘cancelled’ league season, crowned Gor champions

The supremacy battle between Kenyan Premier League and the Football Kenya Federation has taken another twist after KPL wrote to the Confederation of African Football protesting against cancellation of the 2019/20 season FKF.



In a letter dated 26 April 2020, CAF had written to member federations, demanding to be notified on strategies the respective associations were intending to employ to conclude their national leagues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.



The league administration body is seeking guidance over the standoff that has put clubs in confusion.



“We find FKF’s purported decision to cancel the season to be out of step with your circular dated April 26, 2020 addressed to your Member Association General Secretaries,” read the letter in part, signed by Oguda, to CAF maintaining they had the mandate to run the league without any interference from the federation.



“As the body mandated to run the league on behalf of FKF, we expected them to bring to our attention your (CAF) circular so that we could submit a detailed report to them for onward transmission as per your request.



“We expected FKF to furnish the KPL with clear directives that would guide the deliberations of the KPL’s Governing Council in arriving at decisions commendable to your circular.”



Former FKF president Nick Mwendwa took to social media to confirm the league will not resume and announced Gor Mahia champions on 30 March despite there being an order that his term in office together with his National Executive Committee had ended.



In a ruling delivered on 17 March 2020, the Sports Disputes Tribunal declared that the term of the NEC was at an end. According to the FKF Constitution, the president of the federation is part of the NEC by dint of Article 37(a).



However, there is contention on the applicability of Article 43(2) which says that the president remains in office until a new one is elected. The SDT is expected to rule on the issue against the fact that the president cannot take any decisions without the NEC, which is the executive body of the federation.



Analysts have questioned the basis of the declaration, which included announcing National Super League champions and the promotions as well as relelgations, since the NEC was not in place.



The SDT is expected to deliver its ruling on the matter and the way forward with regards to the contentious, now overdue FKF elections on 21 May 2020.



KPL did not take the announcement kindly and immediately contested the directive through CEO Jack Oguda wondering why FKF was “rushing to end the league yet there was still time to monitor the situation.”



KPL has urged their clubs to wait for their directive on the way forward.



The tussle comes only four months to the end of KPL’s contract to run the league on behalf of FKF, with Mwendwa on record saying the contract will not be renewed.