Sports Ministry to give final decision on Kenyan football on Thursday

Front row- CS Sports Amina Mohammed (third left) and PS Ministry of Sports Joe Okudo (second left) join FkF Caretaker committee members headed by committee Chairman Harun Ringera (centre) during Caretaker committee Report handing over at The Moi Sports Centre Kasarani. May 10, 2022. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed today said that the ministry will provide a clear roadmap on the future of Kenyan football on Thursday after receiving the report of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Caretaker Committee, which has been in existence for the past six months.

This is after the six-month mandate of the committee came to a close on Tuesday.

The committee led by retired Judge Aaron Ringera and its secretariat came into place on November 11, 2021, when Amina opted to disband the Nick Mwendwa-led Football Kenya Federation (FKF).

The core mandate of the Committee was to take charge of the affairs of the federation for six months

 "We shall provide a clear road map on Thursday on how we shall move on after meeting with the President and football stakeholders,” said Amina.

In the report, The Caretaker Committee proposed that the FKF Constitution be amended to conform with the Kenyan constitution and Sports Act among other issues.

The Committee after undertaking its mandate made the following recommendations for consideration and adoption:

a) That the FKF Constitution be amended to comply with the Constitution of Kenya and the Sports Act.

The Committee has developed a Draft Constitution annexed to this report which we recommend being shared with FIFA and subject to its concurrence, be subjected to a validation process by members of FKF and adopted by the General Assembly as the amended Constitution of FKF.

b) That following the adoption and enactment of the FKF Constitution, Elections of the FKF officials be conducted in compliance with the Constitution of Kenya, the Sports Act and the new FKF Constitution.

c) That the FKF hands over the running of the leagues to a Limited Company for the efficient and effective running of the leagues.

d) That the Ministry of Sports, Heritage and Culture adopt the report contained herein on the commercialization of football as a sport including the appointment of a Director of Football who is to be a government employee.

e) That the Sports Registrar and FKF work in harmony to ensure that clubs and branches comply with the provisions of Section 46 of the Sports Act and the FIFA club licensing rules on registration.

The committee noted that the current branches of the federation are not compliant with the Sports Act whereas the County Football Associations are compliant with the Sports Act but are not members of the Federation.

There is a need to harmonise this by the Sports Registrar working with the Federation to ensure that only one body per county is running the football and that the said body is recognized by the federation and is compliant with the Sports Act.

(f) That the FKF adopts a more transparent and accountable governance system that involves the disclosure of information including its sources of funding (FIFA, donors, Government etc) to its members and that these funds be utilized for nurturing/development of sports and towards infrastructure development.

g) That the FKF digitalizes its processes by adopting an Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) system including the appointment of referees, fixtures, training calendars, online ticketing, the introduction of artificial intelligence cameras in the football grounds and the introduction of analytic experts.

h) That the FKF conducts regular workshops for players, club medics and referees to promote awareness of sports science including nutrition, anti-doping, injuries and treatment as well as endorse the importance of medical insurance for all players.

i) That FKF ensures that all leagues currently being played by men are also introduced for women players. These leagues include NSL and DIV 2. Further that the FKF introduces leagues for under 13, 15 and 17 for both boys and girls in liaison with the Primary and Secondary Schools Sports Association.

j) That the government ensures that all sports facilities that are used for football meet international standards as stipulated by CAF and FIFA.

k) That the appointments of Coaches, technical persons and match officials be on clear contract terms.

l) That FKF introduces beach and futsal leagues.

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