FKF should make consultations priority

Gor Mahia have been declared Kenyan Premier League champions under a cloud of controversy. The decision on Thursday caught everyone by surprise since it was made via a Tweet by Nick Mwendwa, who, together with his National Executive Committee, was declared by the Sports Disputes Tribunal on March 17 as having outlived their term in office as Football Kenya Federation (FKF) officials.

Secondly, there exists a Sports Tribunal ruling rendered on January 10, 2020, which placed a permanent injunction restraining FKF from interfering with the Kenyan Premier League’s right to manage the competition until September 24, 2020. FKF cites a letter from the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf) for their decision to end the league prematurely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The contestation is that what Caf wanted was the situation of the competitions for purposes of planning for its competitions next season. The Kenyan public has grown weary of problems within the FKF. It is not lost on Kenyans that the FKF is in the middle of a crisis precipitated by leadership challenges.

Kenya is not an island and therefore there should never be a situation where FKF and KPL are talking at cross-purposes regarding how the league should be concluded in the face of the coronavirus.

Fifa has reiterated that the decisions taken as a result of the pandemic should be in the interest of the stakeholders following consultations. FKF should therefore show leadership and allow proper consultations.