Mwendwa now gets referees’ nod ahead of FKF elections
What you need to know:
- The referees drawn from 17 of the federation’s 20 branches met Mwendwa yesterday at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi where South Coast branch chairman Shilingi Fumbwe said they have settled on Mwendwa.
- In the current FKF constitution, referees are entitled to only one vote, and part of the changes that Mwendwa has promised the match officials is to triple their representation in the federation to enable them have a bigger say. Mwendwa has also promised to raise money allocated to referees.
Kariobangi Sharks chairman Nick Mwendwa has received the backing of local football referees in the race for the presidency of Football Kenya Federation.
The referees drawn from 17 of the federation’s 20 branches met Mwendwa yesterday at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi where South Coast branch chairman Shilingi Fumbwe said they have settled on Mwendwa.
“For the past four years, we have been sidelined as referees, and he (Mwendwa) is one of the few people who have reached out to referees in his campaigns.
This shows that he deems us important in the development of football, and for that we are convinced that he is the right candidate for the job,” Fumbwe said.
“He has listened to our opinions and he has agreed to give us better representation in the delegate’s committee and so we have a lot of faith in him,” Fumbwe, who is also the Kenya Football Referees Association (Kefora) vice chairman, added.
In the current FKF constitution, referees are entitled to only one vote, and part of the changes that Mwendwa has promised the match officials is to triple their representation in the federation to enable them have a bigger say. Mwendwa has also promised to raise money allocated to referees.
“Referees are a very integral part of football without which the game cannot be played. I have listened to them and all what they are asking for is better representation. They want their voices to be heard and I have promised to review the constitution so that we can have better representation for them,” Mwendwa said.
Kefora chairman GMT Ottieno however said the decision arrived at in yesterday’s meeting was not final, and that he is willing to listen to any other aspirant before writing a letter of endorsement to the electoral body.
“So far we have met two aspirants, and we are open to any other person who wants to incorporate us in his future plans. Before we officially write to the electoral board we shall look at all the aspirants and see who is best suited for the job,” he said.
