Nick Mwendwa Suffers Fresh Blow In Bid To Hold FKF Elections

The injunction was extended against the National Executive Committee (NEC) and will remain in effect until October 7, 2024.

Nick Mwendwa Suffers Fresh Blow In Bid To Hold FKF Elections
An image of former FKF president Nick Mwendwa. /THE STAR

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has encountered a significant setback in its quest to hold the much-awaited elections.

This is following a ruling from the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi which stopped the Kenyan football governing body from proceeding with holding an Annual General Meeting [AGM] or conducting any act pending the hearing of a case filed.

The injunction was extended against the National Executive Committee (NEC) and will remain in effect until October 7, 2024.

The Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi. /FILE

"In the interim, the Respondents are hereby prohibited from calling any AGM of the Federation or doing any act of the Federation as prayed for in the motion pending hearing of the application. These orders shall remain in force up to 7/10/2024 unless otherwise varied by a court order," a court document seen by Viral Tea read in part.

This legal development effectively bars FKF from holding its Annual General Meeting (AGM) or any Special General Meeting (SGM), both of which are pivotal to the federation's electoral process. 

The court's order includes a penal notice, warning that any disobedience or non-compliance will result in severe penal consequences.

The AGM is supposed to give a road map for the polls and with the court directive it means football stakeholders will wait for a little longer before they can go to the polls to elect new leadership.

Mwendwa, in his address during the FKF Awards Gala on Friday, July 26 at a Nairobi hotel said the court barriers that had stopped the process "are now out of the way."

In March 2024, the journey to the elections was stopped just before it gathered momentum, as the AGM which should have given the road map to the crucial polls was halted through a court order.

It is the case which had been filed by FKF’s Coast Region National Executive Council (NEC) member Gabriel Mghendi that had prompted journalist Milton Nyakundi to seek the order, arguing that until the court ruled on the case, the NEC could not convene an AGM. That case was withdrawn, hence Mwendwa’s assurance.

“There are no more court cases, they are over. If you want to continue with the good job that has been going on, start preparing your papers we meet at the ballot in October,” a confident Mwendwa said. However, Nyakundi sought fresh orders which the court granted on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Awards Gala, former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba advised the federation to fast-track the elections.

“My parting shot, FKF, the entire fraternity of FKF, you are sitting on a diamond mine. I implore that you make sure that the little issue of holding elections is sorted out. Make sure that the environment is clear and you run football in a manner that will make Kenya envy when it comes to football in this region.

“There is no reason why our players should be finding Tanzania a more attractive league than ours…” he said, adding that he had given guarantees to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that Kenya will not disappoint in hosting the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027, as one of his last tasks before exiting the Ministry.

The timing of the latest court decision puts the FKF leadership, particularly Mwendwa, under intense scrutiny and pressure. This inability to hold these critical meetings could stall the federation's operations and governance, creating uncertainty within Kenyan football.

Observers will be closely watching how the FKF will navigate this challenging period and whether further legal manoeuvres will be employed to address the injunction. 

The outcome of this legal battle will likely have far-reaching implications for the future of football administration in Kenya.

FKF Boss Nick Mwendwa at their headquarters on September 20, 2022. /TWITTER.OLE TEYA