Football elections on October 29

By GILBERT WANDERA

After months of waiting, the dates for the forth-coming football elections have finally been announced.

The elections will be held on October 29 the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) announced yesterday.

The announcement is likely to end months of frustrations expressed by some candidates who were getting agitated at the long delay.

According to IIEC Chief Executive James Oswago, the commission is determined to have a credible exercise and will do everything to ensure the intergrity of the elections is protected.

Oswago also announced a time-line of activities between now and the elections date which he said must be adhered to otherwise they will opt out of the exercise.

According to the time-line, the Independent Electoral Board (IEB) must publish in the main dailies, the list of all the polling stations to be used in the exercise and have until Monday to have done that.

Between October 17-21, the IIEC said they will open the voters register for scrutiny by clubs. The voters register has been a major issue in some quarters and the electoral body insists it cannot got to the elections with a contested register.

"The voters register will be opened to clubs at the lowest level so that they can authenticate it. We want to carry out a transparent elections that is acceptable to all," he said.

The final register will then be published on October 24 five days before the elections are held.

Oswago further urged the IEB to ensure that all those contesting have been vetted and pass the intergrity test.

He revealed that the commission has received petitions from certain quarters urging it not to conduct the exercise if some people are allowed to participate in the polls.

"I want to assure everybody that we have received those concerns and are aware of them even as we conduct this exercise,"

"At the end of the day we will do everything possible to ensure we have a credible election that is acceptable to all," he said.

He said that election results for those contesting at the national level will be relayed electronically from a tallying centre to be established at Nyayo National Stadium.

The IEB chairman Joe Okwach assured that they will meet their obligations to ensure the polls are held on time.

"It has been a long journey but I’m glad that we are near the end of the exercise," he said.

Sports Minsiter Paul Otuoma said the Government had done its best to ensure the polls are held. He urged voters to vote for progressive officials who will take the sport further.

Earlier, Otuoma had received Sh2 million donation from Coca-Cola and Airtel towards the elections. The two companies said they want a credible office to run football.

The two are among the companies that have supported the exercise. Others are Bidco, Kenya Airways, Mumias Sugar and National Bank of Kenya.