Fresh elections, same old faces: National Olympic body fails gender balance as more men take top positions in the executive

President NOCK Paul Tergat (left) chat with Newly elected executive board member Paul Otula Chairman KBF during the NOCK General Assembly meeting at PrideInn, Nairobi on Thursday, Dec 9, 2021. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]]

Very few sports enthusiasts expected the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) executive to retain virtually all their seats at the four-year cycle elections held at a Nairobi hotel yesterday.

But bruised egos and shattered dreams were quite evident as candidates in former secretary general Francis Paul Kinyili and former deputy secretary general James Chacha failed to recapture their seats.

It was, however, disappointing that men occupied ten of the 13 slots and six of the top positions in the NOCK executive.

Paul Tergat, the former world marathon record holder, went unopposed as the national Olympic body president. 
Athlete representatives in world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri and former Shujaa captain Humprey Kayange also went in unopposed.

Shadrack Maluki, the Kenya Judo Association, retained his first President’s seat. Maluki garnered 18 votes to beat Nahashon Randiek (14) of Kenya Hockey Union and John Mwangangi of Kenya Rugby Union, who got four votes.

There was one spoilt vote. Waithaka Kioni, the Kenya Volleyball Federation President, retained his second vice president after amassing 22 votes, to thrash former world marathon record holder Tegla Loroupe, who got five votes.

Loroupe had been proposed by Kenya Handball Federation.
It was an exciting duel in the battle for secretary general slot as Francis Mutuku of Kenya Lawn Tennis won with 18 votes.

Francis Kinyili Paul, who stepped aside following the 2016 Rio Olympics scandal, got two votes while Andrew Mudibo of Kenya Table Tennis Association garnered five votes.

Mohamed Shoaib Abdulgani, who was a member of the executive, won the deputy secretary general seat after garnering 18 votes.

He beat former deputy secretary general James Chacha (eight votes) and Francics Njeru of Kenya Softball Association, who got one vote.

Eliud Kariuki of Kenya Amateur Weightlifting Association, retained the treasurer’s seat with 20 votes beating Moses Mbuthia of Kenya Volleyball Federation who got six votes.

John Onyango, who was proposed by Kenya Amateur Weightlifting Association, won the deputy secretary general seat with 22 votes ahead of Agnes Oluoch of Kenya Paralympic Committee, who had four votes. 

Kenya Basketball Federation President Paul Otula topped the three slots for executive members. Otula got 21 votes ahead of Barnabas Korir of Athletics Kenya (16) and Winnie Kamau of Kenya Swimming Federation, who got 14 votes. 

Tergat said the team will embark on early preparations for 2022 Commonwealth Games set for Birmingham and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.