AFC Leopards go to polls
What you need to know:
- 5,294 delegates will pick office bearers for the next three years
- After two postponements, Ingwe elections finally get underway at the club, which has been marred by managerial challenges in the last two years.
Members of AFC Leopards will Sunday line up at the Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani to elect new officials who will lead the club for the next three years.
After two postponements, Ingwe elections finally get underway at the club, which has been marred by managerial challenges in the last two years.
A total of 5,294 delegates from 62 branches have been cleared to vote. The positions being contested are for the chairman, vice chairman, secretary general, deputy secretary general, organising secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer and executive committee members.
Only three candidates are going for the chairman’s post after one hopeful dropped his bid on Thursday last week, there were four hopefuls, but one dropped his bid.
MANDATE ENDS
Mathews Opwora, one of the co-chairmen in the Interim Management Committee, whose mandate ends after Sunday’s election, pulled out of the race on Thursday afternoon, and threw his weight behind Mombasa-based business Maurice Amahwa.
His withdrawal leaves Amahwa, former Football Kenya Federation vice chairman Robert Asembo and Dan Mule, the other co-chairman in the interim committee, in the running for the top seat.
Opwora said his decision was informed by the fear that his candidature may give “an outsider” a free pass to clinch the position, in reference to one of the aspirants.
“Elections require consultations, compromises and let’s face it, the realities of numerical strength to win. After careful analysis of the voting patterns, it is evident that Amahwa, Asembo and myself will split about 3, 600 votes among ourselves," sais Opwora.
STRONG COALITION
“I tried unsuccessfully to form a strong coalition and I am now worried that the minority would win the elections,” he said.
Amahwa, 58, has been the AFC Leopards Mombasa branch chairman for the last 15 years. He is a certified public accountant.
Asembo is a 39-year-old lawyer and is no stranger to football management. He served as the club’s secretary general between 2009 and 2011, and was the Football Kenya Federation vice president during the previous regime headed by Sam Nyamweya.
Mule 42, is a Nairobi businessman with interest in real estate and brokerage. He is seeking to become one of the few people from outside western Kenya to lead the club.
Ingwe’s last elections were held in June 2013 when Allan Kasavuli beat Walter Onyino by 43 votes to clinch the chairman’s position. AFC Leopards have not won the league title in the last 18 years.
