Day of reckoning: Poll agency to name candidates and federations locked out of Nock elections

The candidates who have been cleared to contest in the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) elections will be known today as the electoral board makes public the names of those who are eligible.  The board will also announce the names of the federations that are eligible to take part in the exercise, with reports that five associations could be locked out for various reasons.  According to Irene Tindi, the secretary of the board, 32 candidates have shown an interest in the 12 positions that are up for grabs.  The positions being contested for are president, first deputy president, second deputy president, secretary-general, deputy secretary-general, trustee, treasurer, deputy treasurer, elected member, male representative athlete, female representative athlete, and women representative.  “The board will on Wednesday (today) release the names of the qualified candidates and also reveal why some have been locked out.  “In the same vein, there are a number of federations that will also know their fate in as far as the exercise is concerned. Some have issues and have been asked to provide documents to support their case,” she said.  The Kenya Canoe Association, the Kenya Handball Association, the Kenya Cycling Association, the Weightlifting Federation, and the Kenya Taekwondo Federation are among those trying to be cleared to take part in the May 5 elections.  Olympian and five-time World Cross Country champion Paul Tergat will fight it out for the top post with the incumbent, Kipchoge Keino and two weeks ago unveiled his line-up.  Kenya Volleyball Federation head Waithaka Kioni will battle it out with Athletics Kenya chairman Jackson Tuwei for the first deputy president’s position.  At the same time, Nock chairman Kipchoge Keino has claimed that there is a plot to lock him out of the elections and has warned that this would backfire.  Keino accused 'some people at the Ministry of Sports' of being behind the alleged plot to lock him out.  He said the decision to block members of his executive committee from voting is one of the ways being used by ministry officials to ensure that he does not defend his seat.  “The government has blocked all our bank accounts and my personal accounts as well as making it impossible for us to operate,” he complained.  Keino and members of his sitting executive were against radical changes to the Nock constitution, which strips the committee of voting powers. Twice the constitution was defeated and it was only after the International Olympic Committee threatened to take action against some individuals in Nock that the document was approved.