Nakuru football officials, clubs want normalisation committee

As Football Kenya Federation election stalemate deepens by the day, Nakuru football stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the formation of a normalisation committee to oversee fresh polls.

Led by FKF Nakuru sub-branch secretary Eliakim Mbalilwa, the stakeholders said that they fully support the ruling by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) delivered on March 17.

“As Nakuru sub-branch we support the formation of the Normalisation committee because for the past four years the current FKF regime from the national office to the branch has never assisted our sub branch to uplift the standard of football,” said Mbalilwa.

At the same time Mbalilwa revealed that the current FKF supreme law does not recognise the existence of sub-branches as illustrated by the last two nullified elections.

“In the last two elections that aborted no single club was allowed to participate in the elections and this clearly shows how the current FKF regime disregards the clubs at the grass roots,” said Mbalilwa.

The official faulted the FKF national office for concentrating on Premier League and National Super League when shopping for sponsors of the two leagues.

“Football foundation is at the grass roots and that is where the FKF should be putting their money by sponsoring the leagues but unfortunately the big wigs in Nairobi have no time for the sub branch leagues,” said Mbalilwa.

A former Fifa referee, Hesborn Mbogo, echoed Mbalilwa’s sentiments and called for a thorough clean-up of the voter register before the elections are held.

“A fresh voter register must be prepared and scrutinised by all parties before the elections are conducted,” said Mbogo.

He said the FKF electoral process must be streamlined for a free and fair elections from the sub- branches to the national elections.

“The FKF constitution has many offending clauses that are not compliant with the Sports Act 2013 and will bar many eligible candidates,” noted Mbogo.

The former referee called for an independent FKF electoral board and an appeal board that was transparent in its operations.

Other changes he proposed include issuance of interim registration certificates to the clubs and sub branch chairpersons to provide a list of clubs and officials eligible to vote at the county elections.
The clubs participating in FKF leagues and any authorised competitions should also be allowed to participate in the elections.

Mbogo also wants the contentious clause on running mate be amended so that the president and the deputy, chairperson and vice chairperson at the county and sub branch can be allowed to contest as independent candidates.

“The venue for the elections at national and branch levels should be at a central point where all candidates and participating clubs could access easily,” added Mbogo.