FKF polls on as SDT ruling looms

From Left- FKF Electoral Board members Alfred Ndinya, Ali Hassan member, Chairman Kentice Tikolo and Patrick Onyango Board Secretary during the unveiling of the reconstituted Electoral Board ahead of the upcoming elections set to be held before March 30 in Nairobi on Monday, Feb 3, 2020. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Football Kenya Federation is set to re-start the election of its officials from County level beginning tomorrow.

The FKF Electoral Board chair Kentice Tikolo expressed confidence they will deliver a credible poll despite an imminent Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) ruling on March 17 over the validity of the controversy-marred exercise.

“Everything is ready. We hope to conduct a free and fair election that represents the aspirations of football stakeholders in the country,” Tikolo told Standard Sports yesterday.

Asked why they were going ahead with the exercise despite a pending Tribunal ruling on its validity, Tikolo said: “If the SDT rules that we stop the exercise, we will stop. For now, we have a calendar to adhere to.”

The exercise, which began in October last year saw the Sports Registrar stop it on its tracks saying it contravened the provisions of Sports Act 2013 and Regulations 2016.

A section of FKF members also went to the Tribunal arguing the federation had enacted an Electoral Code designed to exclude them besides constituting an Electoral Board that contravened the Fifa Standard Electoral Code and Constitution of Kenya 2010.

And in a ruling delivered on December 3 last year, the SDT chaired by John Ohaga, nullified the election exercise noting that the Electoral Board was improperly constituted and that there was no public participation as envisaged in the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

After reconstituting the Board following a controversial Special Genera Meeting, now also under review by SDT, FKF petitioned the Tribunal on February 19 to have the Sports Registrar compelled to accept the election returns.

Commenting on the contentious voter register, which several clubs allege excludes them unjustifiably, Electoral Board chair Tikolo said: “After the nullification, FKF started the Electoral process afresh and as per regulations, a convocation notice for the SGM was sent out to members on January 14, 2020.

“As at January 14, clubs in the NSL had played half their matches and as such, we used the league standings as at that time as reflected in the league standing of January 12, 2020.”

She added: “As a result, there are changes so that clubs such as Shabana, Kenya Police and Talanta have moved to bottom 10 and are no longer eligible to vote. Consequently, Migori Youth, Nairobi City Stars and Fortune Sacco have moved up the table of standings hence their eligibility to vote.”

FKF issued a convocation notice on Wednesday for national elections expected on March 27.