‘POLLS WILL GO ON’ FKF Electoral board says voting in branches will go on as scheduled

The Football Kenya Federation electoral board has said that branch polls will go on as scheduled on Tuesday.

The assurance came after a board meeting held yesterday in the wake of deep divisions in the board which prompted majority of the members to write to FIFA.

Board chair Donald Kipkorir said in a statement yesterday that the verification process will be held this morning at Zetech College.

The statement came after a board meeting held yesterday. It was attended by FIFA representatives via video link.

“We wish to ask branch secretaries and chair to attend the verification process at Zetech College. This will be done in conjunction with FKF and the board and the branch elections will go on as planned,” Kipkorir said.

Branch officials had castigated the board for calling off the verification process and accused Kipkorir of working in cahoots with the incumbent to try and rig the elections.

“We will not allow Kipkorir to rig the process and are demanding that the verification process be done as scheduled,” they said in a statement.

The electoral process appeared in jeopardy following claims by some board members that there were attempts to manipulate the process.

Five board members wrote to FIFA expressing their concerns and urging the world governing body to send a representative to oversee the remainder of the process.

The letter came in the wake of a list released by FKF chief executive officer Michael Esakwa showing a list of delegates to take part in the branch elections.

The five board members who signed the letter are secretary Irene Tindi, treasurer David Mereka and Prof. Edwin Wamukoya who doubles up as the chair of the verification process, Dr J J Masiga and Naftali Nyabegera.

The five accused Kipkorir of working with the incumbent Sam Nyamweya to try and derail the remaining part of the electoral process.

“We wish to bring to your attention the continued interference by FKF and in particular the Secretary General in the management of the elections, and how it may seriously impact negatively to the scheduled branch elections,” said part of the letter.

Meanwhile, a US judge has approved the release, pending trial, of Alfredo Hawit, a former vice president of FIFA and one of more than 40 people and entities charged in an anti-corruption sweep in the sport, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Hawit is to be released on a $1 million personal recognizance bond secured by $50,000 cash and real estate, lawyer Justin Weddle said.

It was not immediately known when he would be released, but Hawit would be subject to home detention and electronic monitoring, Weddle said.

Hawit of Honduras, onetime head of his country’s federation and the North and Central America and Caribbean confederation, Concacaf, pleaded not guilty on January 13 in Brooklyn federal court to charges that he participated in schemes to accept bribes from sports marketing companies.

Hawit was arrested on December 3 in Zurich.

— Additional reporting by Reuters