Mwendwa pushes for FKF president to have 3 terms

What you need to know:

  • Football Kenya Federation’s top brass seems all set to push through controversial amendments in the federation’s new constitution.
  • The one amendment that has raised most heat is that which seeks to extend the tenure of the federation’s president to three four-year terms from the current two.
  • Majority of the over 100 delegates who attended a consultative stakeholders meeting in Nairobi to discuss the proposed amendments were against the extension of the term of the president of the federation.

Football Kenya Federation’s top brass seems all set to push through controversial amendments in the federation’s new constitution.

The one amendment that has raised most heat is that which seeks to extend the tenure of the federation’s president to three four-year terms from the current two.

Majority of the over 100 delegates who attended a consultative stakeholders meeting in Nairobi to discuss the proposed amendments were against the extension of the term of the president of the federation.

Multiple sources who spoke to Nation Sport in confidence said that FKF president Nick Mwendwa was determined to pass through the proposal on term-limit.

Not even a contribution by veteran football administrator Lordvick Aduda, who represented Gor Mahia’s interests at the meeting, could soften Mwendwa’s resolve. 

A former CEO of FKF during the Sam Nyamweya regime, Aduda argued that increasing the duration a president can serve in office to 12 years, instead of the eight was against the Sports Act.

The 2013 Sports Act states that the head of a sports organisation can serve in office for up to eight years.

Article 1 of the proposed FKF constitution in fact states: “Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is an associative nature registered in Kenya in compliance with the Sports Act No.25 of 2013 as a National Sports Organisation. It is formed for an unlimited period.”

Besides, all the major sports bodies in the country, including the Kenya Hockey Union, Kenya Rugby Union, Kenya Basketball Federation and Kenya Volleyball Federation either support the eight-year term limit as enshrined in the Sports Act, or are working towards aligning themselves with this piece of the law. 

Mwendwa has, however, stuck to his guns and argued that the football body should align term limits to the statutes of Confederation of African Football, and Fifa. 

The FKF supremo also reportedly told the delegates present, including branch officials and representatives from the Kenyan Premier League clubs, National Super League, and women football that he was prepared for a potential court suit over this subject.

“There was no agreement on this one,” FKF Head of Communication and Public Relations Barry Otieno confirmed.