Uphold court decision on football poll

On March 17, the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) pronounced itself on the Football Kenya Federation. The disputes tribunal had ruled the federation’s eligibility criteria on candidates and the voting clubs was unreasonable having flouted the Kenyan constitution.

The tribunal rendered the entire process null and void. And while the world football governing body Fifa rejected the tribunal’s suggestion that a normalisation committee be formed to correct the anomaly given the term of office the National Executive Committee had elapsed, it called for a stakeholders’ meeting together with the Ministry of Sports.

It is surprising that Fifa and FKF have abandoned the roadmap and instead have taken a confrontational path against a legitimate and independent tribunal set up by an Act of Parliament. It is a travesty of justice for FKF to seek to disregard the ruling or apply it selectively. It thus behooves the football fraternity to go back to the ruling and remedy the eligibility criteria in full.

It sets a bad precedent for FKF to think they can defy orders of a competent tribunal without seeking appeal so the ruling can be vacated.

This is a country bound by the rule of law. Fifa itself is registered under the Swiss laws and they observe them to the letter. It is therefore wrong for the world football governing body to appear to encourage FKF to break the law.

In any case, the laws of Fifa are domesticated in Kenyan Constitution. The FKF Electoral Board should therefore ensure it does not flout the law.