SDT now overturns FKF's move to end KPL season
What you need to know:
- SDT chairman John Ohaga made the ruling following an application filed by both the Kenyan Premier League body and Chemelil Sugar, and certified as urgent.
The football scene was Tuesday evening plunged into more confusion after the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) temporarily suspended Football Kenya Federation's (FKF) decision to cancel the 2019/2020 Kenyan Premier League season.
SDT chairman John Ohaga made the ruling following an application filed by both the Kenyan Premier League body and Chemelil Sugar, and certified as urgent.
Ohaga has also invited all the 18 clubs competing in the top-flight football league this season to have their say on the matter before directing that the respondents in the matter, namely FKF, its president Nick Mwendwa, and general secretary Barry Otieno, be served via digital platforms, including mobile messaging app WhatsApp.
The case is set to be heard on May 26.
"My main concern is that things were not done as per the law and that is why we decided to seek legal interpretation," said KPL's chief executive Jack Oguda.
The court case comes ten days after Mwendwa announced, via Twitter, that the top-flight league season had been cancelled.
He cited the coronavirus pandemic which had occasioned the temporary suspension of the competition as the reason.
Further Mwendwa declared Gor Mahia league champions and announced he had forwarded the club's name to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) as the country's representatives ahead of next season's Caf Champions League.
But Oguda, whose body is mandated by FKF to run the top-flight league, has consistently claimed Mwendwa jumped the gun and did not consult before arriving at the decision.
Gor, Kakamega Homeboyz and Tusker occupied the top three positions in the league by the time it was halted with an average nine rounds of matches to be contested.
In the wrong end of the table, Sony Sugar, Chemelil and Kisumu All Stars occupied the relegation spots.
This is the fourth case involving FKF that has been filed at the SDT in the past five months. The other two cases led to the cancelation of FKF's county and national elections and Mwendwa is currently still fighting another legal battle which will determine whether he remains in office or his term of office has expired.
