Pressure on Mwendwa as civil society now call for probe into his administration at FKF

Governance activists, under the umbrella of the Civil Society Reference Group, have now joined the chorus of football stakeholders in demanding that Nick Mwendwa – the outgoing president of Football Kenya Federation be investigated for possible irruption and other malpractices.



Addressing the press in Nairobi Sunday morning, a group comprising at least 10 civil society organizations express grave concerns at the manner in which FKF had been run under Mwendwa.



“Our concerns stem from the fact that football clubs and federations that they form at the national level are associations that provide opportunities for citizens to exercise their rights and freedoms of association, assembly and expression as guaranteed in the Constitution and other laws of the Republic of Kenya,” said CSRG convenor Suba Churchill in a statement.



“Some of you could be wondering why an umbrella organization of other civil society formations as the CSRG is interested in good management of sports organizations.



“The answer to any such questions lies in the fact that football clubs and their federations are themselves civil society organizations.



“Civil society is essentially people coming together and organizing themselves in the pursuit of common interests, which is a basic right of any human being.”



He explained the Nexus for their interest in sporting activities by referring to the Sixth Schedule the Public Benefit Organizations Act, which he said “lists sports as one of the areas in which one can form a civil society organization hence our interest in the affairs of sports bodies”.



“Football clubs, be they AFC Leopards, Bandari FC, Kakamega Homeboys, Mathare United, Tusker FC, Sofapaka, Posta Rangers, Kariobangi Sharks or Gor Mahia FC, are all civil society organizations formed to enable young Kenyans with the interest and talent in football to better their skills and realize their potential to the fullest extent possible.



“The role that sports in general, and football in particular, play in the promotion of patriotism, and the baby steps that Kenyans continue to make towards the realization of national unity that has eluded us over the years as a people cannot be overemphasized.”



They want Mwendwa investigated for presiding over theft of millions of money from the FKF which allegedly moved from the federation coffers to his personal and cronies accounts, among other allegations.



“Good governance, integrity, transparency and accountability seem to be extremely lacking in the current management of Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and that is the main focus of our statement today.



“These are part and parcel of, and indeed form the core of the National Values and Principles of Governance in Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya, and are therefore, issues of concern to us as a national platform that brings together human rights, governance and humanitarian initiatives.



“As a standard-setting and enforcing organization, the CSRG is perturbed by the leadership wrangles, turbulence and long-running instability that continue to characterize FKF…



Equally concerning are the institutional neglect, looting and the non-existence of functional governance structures that are apparent at FKF, leading to a situation whereby one individual runs the show without any pretenses of account to anybody at a time when good governance, integrity, transparency and accountability have taken over the past clashes between capitalism and communism as the ideologies of our time.



“But the most concerning is the whole issue of what seems to be a well-planned, coordinated and protected criminal enterprise complete with what seems to be illicit financial flows being executed with impunity at FKF even as concerned authorities seem to turn a blind eye to the endless financial improprieties going on at FKF.”They are blaming Mwendwa’s team for what they termed as “the clearest signs that there are no systems, checks and balances at FKF and explain the hue and cry for accountability even as the organization prepares to hold its elections in the coming months”.



“It is significant to point out that all these seem to have been perpetrated even during the said Mwendwa’s temporary incumbency during which period the term of the National Executive Committee has all but expired, limiting the extent to which he can make decisions on such amounts of money, more so when the funds are transferred to his personal bank accounts.



“Subsequently, the CSRG appeals to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to move with speed and institute investigations to these allegations of financial impropriety to ascertain their veracity.



“The CSRG wants to believe that those to be elected in the forthcoming FKF elections are bound by Chapter Six of the Constitution, and Article 10 on the National Values and Principles of Governance, and should therefore obtain clearance from the relevant government agencies as a requirement for running for office.”



This new development comes only days after a leaked audio revealed what has been interpreted as evidence of Mwendwa’s ploy to rig the elections by manipulating the Electoral Board, the applicable code and voter register of the long-overdue polls.