‘Team Kip Keino’ win ‘round one’ as new Nock constitution shot down

National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) president Kipchoge Keino after a meeting with affiliated members on March 7, 2017 at Panari Hotel. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • No end in sight as Kenya stay on the brink
  • Kenya now staring at Olympic ban in the face as Nock succeed in warding off new constitution, forcing federations to seek redress at IOC, sports disputes tribunal

Kenya’s sports federations have vowed to seek the redress at the International Olympic Committee after the proposed new National Olympic Committee of Kenya constitution was shot down at a General Assembly on Tuesday.

Speaking on behalf of the federations, Kenya Table Tennis Association President Andrew Mudibo said that they will also take their case to Sports Tribunal since the proposed constitution was a negotiated document that the IOC had also approved.

Kenya faces possible suspension by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the country’s national governing body failed to implement reforms demanded after Kenya’s embarrassing Rio Games appearance.

The IOC had warned it would take “appropriate action” against Kenya if its National Olympic Committee (Nock) did not resolve a seven-month impasse and adopt a new constitution paving the way for fresh elections.

The IOC assisted in the drafting of new laws following a national outcry over corruption and the treatment of the Kenya team at last summer’s Rio Olympics.

But the new statutes failed to garner enough votes to pass at an NOCK general assembly on Wednesday, attended by officials from the IOC and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

“We are back at the drawing board,” said Nock chairman Kipchoge Keino. “We are going to continue with the old constitution until we call for elections at the end of our four-year term in June.”

Even though the “ayes” for proposed new constitution garnered the majority of the votes, polling 19 against 13, it failed to secure the required threshold of two thirds for adoption of the document.

VOTED AGAINST NEW DOCUMENT

Sources from the meeting disclosed that four members of the executive — Paul Tergat, Catherine Ndereba, Parvi Rawal and Resham Bains — voted for the new constitution.

Some federations that are aligned to some top Nock officials including swimming, cycling, tae kwon-do and badminton voted against.

The outcome from the General Assembly could court some heavy retribution from the IOC who have been firm that Nock has to go to election before the end of March this year under a new constitution.

However, Nock, led by its chairman Kipchoge Keino and deputy secretary general James Chacha, indicated that democracy prevailed and that it’s the General Assembly that voted against the new constitution not the executive.

Kipchoge indicated that Nock will not succumb to any pressure and that elections will be either be held at the end of May or early June as in previous years.

The assembly was attended by observers from the IOC and Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa who declined to comment on the impasse.

Jerome Poivey, the head of institutional relations and governance at the IOC, and Mohamed Azzoug, Anoca President’s chief of staff, were observers at the General Assembly.

The meeting, initially called last week on Tuesday, ended prematurely when Nock President Kipchoge Keino called it off after delegates failed to agree on several components in the draft constitution, prompting for the new date at which the votes were cast.

“We shall take our battle for justice to IOC headquarters, at Sports Tribunal or even the High Court if need be,” said Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni.