How FKF president Mwendwa trounced bitter rivals to retain seat

FKF President Nick Mwendwa. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Nick Mwendwa was re-elected as Football Kenya Federation president in an election held on Saturday at Safari Park Hotel Nairobi.

Mwendwa garnered 77 votes, beating former Gor Mahia CEO Lordvick Aduda who managed five votes while Herbert Mwachiro got a paltry three votes.

Dan Mule and Bonface Osano got nothing.

Mwendwa thanked his supporters via Twitter ahead of another term in office.

Let's go do this Kenya !. I am once again humbled.Thank you pic.twitter.com/4Nq5TTG7EU

— Nick Mwendwa (@Nmwendwa) October 17, 2020

In a tightly contested race, Margaret Omondi (43 votes) beat Violet Kerubo by a vote to clinch the NEC Women's Representative position.

 Former Gor Mahia treasurer Sally Bolo got zero votes.

In the FKF National Executive Committee elections, Michael Ouma got 59 votes to beat Tom Alila (25 votes) to the Nairobi Region seat.

Bernard Korir (64 votes) is the new Upper Rift Valley NEC member while his closest rival Nyongesa Masinde managed 21 votes.

Joseph Andere garnered 79 votes to retain the Nyanza National Executive Committee seat as Laban Jobita managed a paltry five votes.

Ahmed Qadar Mohammed drowned Mohammed Abdi Farah by 82 votes to three to clinch the North Eastern NEC seat.

Former Gor Mahia treasurer Sally Bolo got zero votes.

Football Associations (CECAFA) secretary-general Nicholas Musonye among others, had filed a petition to stop the polls citing credibility issues.

Sports Registrar Rose Wasike also poured cold water on the elections saying it would be prudent for FKF not to proceed with Saturday’s plan to allow them put their house in order and conform to the national laws of the Country and FIFA Statutes.

Wasike’s plea hit a dead end on Friday after the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) ruled otherwise.

“The proposition that this would have been futile is misconceived as already demonstrated by our reference to the ‘defection’ of the 2nd Petitioner.

“We think that this conclusion is sufficient to dispose of the Petition and it is not necessary to delve into all the other arguments that were advanced by the parties. For this reason, the Petition is for dismissing and it is duly dismissed,” Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) chairman John Ohaga said.

Nyamweya said they would issue their next cause of action in due course.

He, however, said the decision took them by surprise especially after the FKF Electoral Board chair had admitted to the SDT that they have not been touch with the regulator, the Sports Registrar.