Election countdown begins
What you need to know:
- IEB set to announce guidelines and poll dates on Wednesday as various hopefuls cry foul over the tight rules stipulated
The dates for the long awaited Kenya Football elections will be known on Wednesday when the Independent Electoral Board officially releases the guidelines.
The IEB Chief Executive Officer Peter Ogonji says official guidelines will ensure that the elections are run smoothly. The guidelines approved by world football governing body, Fifa, are already raising controversies.
Football Kenya Limited chairman Mohammed Hatimy and Extreme Sports director Hussein Mohammed have been locked out of the elections by legal issues and age limit, but IEB refused to comment on this.
Kenya Football Federation chairman Sam Nyamweya and former Kenya international Sammy Sholei will, however, be on the ballot box when the elections are held.
Hatimy has been blocked from the elections because of a court case involving him and the disappearance of Sh55 million Kenya Football Federation cash. The case has dragged for over six years.
Hatimy’s case is not helped further by the fact that he is a nominated civic leader in Mombasa and is hugely associated with the Orange Democratic Movement.
The elections guidelines sent by Fifa to IEB on Saturday stipulate that: "No person shall qualify for office as Delegate to the General Assembly whether as National Executive Officer or of the Branch or Sub-branch Official if he has a criminal case pending involving an offence concerning moral turpitude, holds an office in a political party or Member of Parliament or Civic Authority.”
All these knock Hatimy out.
The FKL boss on Tuesday said the FKL will hold an executive meeting to deliberate on the issues before making a formal comment.
“We will go through the guidelines as an executive and make our view public on Thursday,” he said on Tuesday.
But a BBC report earlier in the week quoted Hatimy condemning plans to change the voting system which has allowed clubs to vote directly in the polls. Three official from over 3,000 clubs affiliated to FKL and KFF will cast their votes.
The guidelines also seek candidates to declare their wealth.
