KPL's Disciplinary committee reconstituted

Dan Shikanda (right) addresses the media at a past event. He was on June 23, 2019 elected as new AFC Leopards chairman PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • The six members of the committee include former Kenyan internationals, retired referees and high profile lawyers conversant with the rules of the game.
  • The IDCC is a body within KPL that investigates and acts upon disciplinary cases and complaints brought forth involving its members.
  • It derives its mandate from the KPL, but can be overruled by Football Kenya Federation’s Independent Disciplinary and Appeals Committee.

The Kenyan Premier League Governing Council has reconstituted its disciplinary body, Independent Disciplinary and Complaints Committee (IDCC), and appointed a new six-member team led by lawyer Stephen Ligunya.

The newly-reconstituted body incorporates six male members, and the league organisers are still in the process of identifying a female member of the committee whose mandate started on June 12.

The six members of the committee include former Kenyan internationals, retired referees and high profile lawyers conversant with the rules of the game.

Former Kenyan internationals Dan Shikanda and Austine Oduor, match commissioner and retired referee James Mulanya, and lawyers Evans Mwachia and Denis Randiak are the new members.

Reconstitution of IDCC’s committee brings to an end the reign of the Professor Migai Aketch-led committee whose members were Njeri Onyango, Elijah Gitonga, William Odeny, Penninah Wahome and David Otieno.    

KPL CEO Jack Oguda on Tuesday said IDCC’s committee was reconstituted after the completion of the tenure of the previous committee.

“The Governing Council resolved to give the IDCC members one-year terms where they will be appointed at the beginning of the season,” Oguda said.

“All members are appointed by the governing council and whether a member will be reappointed or not depends on the success of the body within that period.

“In our case, some members chose not to continue serving as members that is why we had to bring in completely new faces,” he said.

The new IDCC is expected to hold their first meeting tomorrow morning to deliberate on either of the six items carried forward from the previous regime.

The six matters include the ban effected by FKF on Muhoroni Stadium and requests to for action to be taken against club’s official due to numerous cases of violence that have been reported over the years.

Although the previous committee conducted its operations smoothly and without much controversy, it was accused of taking too long to determine important cases as well as unwillingness to mete out tough penalties on errant clubs, officials and players.

The IDCC is a body within KPL that investigates and acts upon disciplinary cases and complaints brought forth involving its members.

It derives its mandate from the KPL, but can be overruled by Football Kenya Federation’s Independent Disciplinary and Appeals Committee.

Higher than these two bodies is the Sports Disputes Tribunal which is established under the Sports Act to arbitrate on all Sports related disputes. The Court of Arbitration for Sport then stands at the apex of bodies constituted to resolve sports disputes to complete the hierarchy.