Resist attempts by FKF boss to increase term limits of officials

Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa’s new push to increase the term limit of office holders from a maximum of two terms to three must resisted. This constitutional amendment is typically common when the leadership is not averse to bending rules to entrench themselves and extend their stay in office.

There are many reasons why this attempted term extension must be nipped in the bud. Significantly, the Sports Act stipulates that officials of all national sports must not stay in office beyond the statutory two-term limit. This law is clear that each term will last four years.

It, therefore, becomes annoying when officials of national sports associations introduce obstacles to regime change; and many times it has been because they want to use their positions to corruptly enrich themselves.

Often, when these volunteers have been unable to provide enlightened leadership, they use their positions to stop other progressive individuals from rising to the helm. Only last month, the country went through a painful process of trying to edge out veteran Kipchoge Keino from the helm of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

It is only through pressure from the International Olympic Committee and the national government that the erstwhile hero was edged out kicking and screaming. And yet, it had been conclusively established that under Keino’s watch, the welfare of athletes was blatantly disregarded even as officials sanctioned theft of sports kit and other misdemeanours during the Rio Olympic games.

In the fresh controversy, Mwendwa disingenuously suggests that the extension of the president’s term would align the FKF constitution to that of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Fifa. However, the country’s laws supersede FIFA and CAF by-laws and it would be irrational to introduce statutes that are flagrantly illegal. And this is why the FKF membership must reject the term-limit clause before it ratifies the amended constitution during the November 18 Annual General Meeting.