Senate to summon Nick Mwendwa, Ababu Namwamba over football wrangles
The Senate is set to summon Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa in a bid to solve the wrangles between officials of two rival entities claiming mandate in running of the game.
Speaking at Parliament buildings on May 25, 2023, Labour and Social Welfare Committee vice chairman George Mbugua, Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki and his Kilifi counterpart Stewart Madzayo regretted that the wrangles pitting FKF and the County Football Associaitions (CFA) has hampered the development of the game.
The Senators advised CFA officials to formally petition the Senate Commitee to deliberate on the matter.
CFA and FKF officials have been involved in a supremacy battle over management of the game at both the grassroots and national level.
Speaking while appearing before the Senate Standing Commitee on Labour and Social Welafare, Nairobi County Football Associaition secretary general Wilfred Marori accused Namwamba of illegally reinstating Mwendwa and other FKF officials to office.
FKF was disbanded by former Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed in 2021 but Namwamba reinstated the officials upon assuming office in 2022.
Marori further accused FKF of sidelining CFA from the management of football yet it is duly registered under the Kenyan law, in this case the Sports Act.
He argued that Namwamba defied both the High Court and Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT) rulings when reinstating FKF officials.
Marori accused Mwendwa of hiding behind world governing body Fifa to run the game while ignoring the Kenyan laws.
“We can’t go anywhere with the style of leadership Namwamba and Mwendwa are showing in the management of football. Namwamba is rewarding social media celebrities and tiktokers instead of focusing on how players should be gaining from the sports kitty and generally improving the game. That’s why the court quashed the technical committee he put in place to advise on sports associations,” said Marori.
“Mwendwa is running FKF as a personal entity because the FKF standing committee no longer work, member affiliates are not benefitting from Fifa funds. He also sidelined us from any management of football at the grassroots level.”
Vihiga County football association Peter Lisero said FKF’s term of office will lapse on is October 17, 2023, yet there is no sign of the football body amending its constitution to align with the Sports Act 2013 ahead of fresh elections.
The meeting was also attended by County Football officials namely Dan Kahiga (Central), Jennifer Maranga (Western), Joseph Kiptanui (Rift valley), Virginia Mweni (Eastern) and Noordin Taib (Senior adviser).
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