Form normalisation committee, Twaha tells Fifa amid football wrangles
Football administrator Twaha Mbarak says the bitter differences over the upcoming Football Kenya Federation polls can only be solved by Fifa forming a normalisation committee.
While castigating the Football Kenya Federation top brass of dictatorship and trashing the Sports Act 2013, Mbarak says Saturday’s aborted Annual General Meeting is an indicator of a deep problem in the management of the game.
“FIFA should appoint a normalisation committee which will ensure compliance, fill the vacuum, spearhead the preparation of CHAN and AFCON 2027 by the government and eventually hold free and fair elections,” said Mbarak in a press statement sent to the newsroom on Monday.
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The March 16, AGM was stopped by the High Court of Mombasa due to a case presented by journalists cum lawyer Milton Nyakundi.
Twaha’s sentiments come even as football stakeholders and fans called on President William Ruto to intervene in the wrangles bedevilled football and bring sanity to the game.
A normalisation Committee is always formed by Fifa as the last resort when the World football governing body feels that the wrangles on member federations are due to peculiar issues such as corruption, dictatorship and disregard for the country’s and Fifa laws.
The last time Kenya had a normalisation was in 2004 when Fifa hounded out the Kenya Football Federation led by Chairman Maina Kariuki, Vice Chairman Mohammed Hatimy and Secretary Hussein Swaleh, all of whom have since passed on.
Fifa appointed retired athlete Kipchoge Keino to lead the committee which then oversaw an all-inclusive and transparent election where Alfred Sambu was voted in as the chairman of the football body.
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In the ensuing wrangles which would later pit Sambu, Hatimy and Sam Nyamweya, Fifa didn’t form a normalisation Committee as the parties agreed on the road map to the election in 2011.
In his statement, Twaha says Nick Mwendwa-led FKF has no respect for the Kenyan constitution and has not aligned to the Sports Act 2013.
He also alleged massive financial misappropriation at the federation questioning why the entity has not been making its accounts public to allow for scrutiny.
“FKF should stop bribing delegates to pass what they have not seen and club officials should not accept to be micromanaged. The list of FKF branches must also be audited,” added Mbarak who also serves as the Vice Chairman of Bandari.
Apart from Twaha, seasoned football administrator Lordvick Aduda has also said the current wrangles would interfere with Kenya’s preparations to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations and the upcoming CHAN.
Namwamba, who has always insisted that the upcoming elections must be held within the law, is yet to comment on the aborted AGM.
The government through the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) has warned Mwendwa from seeking a third term, a position which has been publicly taken by Namwamba when he warned federations officials whose term limits have ended against seeking a third term.