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Big guns eye FKF’s top job


The race to replace the current Football Kenya Federation (FKF) office bearers has commenced in earnest, five months to the lapse of their four year tenures of the incumbents.

Close to eight candidates, including President Sam Nyamweya, are expected to declare their candidature for the top seat within the next fortnight, a development that will then pave way for a busy campaign period leading to the exercise in November.

The next FKF President will play a significant role in developing the sport, thanks to a raft of exciting policies by the government to build 5 state-of-the-art sports stadiums, and for the country to host the continental 2018 African Nations Championship (Chan) football tournament.

These two projects are expected to consume close to Sh 15 billion over the next half a decade.

Meanwhile, the polling exercise will be preceded by the setting up of an elections board by the federation as ordered by football’s world governing body Fifa last March.

That board will then draw up the elections guidelines, which will be approved at the federation’s annual general meeting next month.

Analysts are touting either Nyamweya, Hussein Mohammed and Ambrose Rachier as the likely front runners in the campaign.

CONTESTANTS

The assumption is based on the trio’s influence, expertise and exposure in the sport over the last decade.

Nyamweya who has since broken ranks with a number of his National Executive Committee (NEC) members, including Tom Alila, Doris Petra, plus the suspended duo Sammy Shollei and Hussein Terry, could find it harder to retain his seat if as mooted Rachier, Mohammed and Karibangi Sharks FC boss Nick Mwendwa form a coalition and front a single candidate.

“I cannot confirm or deny my candidature for the moment. We are consulting. But the public will be informed of the way forward very soon,” Mwendwa, an IT guru told Nairobi News.

Rachier – a respected lawyer and the chairman of Gor Mahia Football Club – is in the meantime being fronted as a ‘KPL candidate’, as a majority of his support is drawn from the clubs in the competition.

The next rank of contestants for the top seat are former AFC Leopards Chairman Alex Ole Magelo, who is the current Nairobi County national assembly speaker.

Ex-internationals Shollei and Ken Oliech – who is elder brother to former Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech, and politician Ronnie Osumba have also declared their candidatures.

“My main task will be to improve on the infrastructure and ensure footballers are well taken care of. Football will be a critical industry under my watch now that our government is not creating enough jobs,” Osumba, who was a running mate to Presidential candidate Peter Kenneth in the last general elections said.

The Vice Presidency and eight NEC positions (each representing the country’s former eight provinces), are some of the other national posts attracting tens of contestants.