By Mark Baber
June 30 – The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Friday was aborted by controversial FKF President Sam Nyamweya (pictured), allegedly on the grounds of insecurity and too many people turning up to the venue.
The meeting, held in in Kisii, was supposed to be setting the scene for October’s FKF elections and considering time limits on office holders, reviewing the bans on ex-officials opposed to Nyamweya and approving the financial statements of the federation.
Nyamweya immediately blamed the meeting’s abandonment on his rivals, and in particular on Nick Mwendawho who has signalled his intent to stand against him and who has called for transparency in FKF affairs.
According to an FKF statement: “Football Kenya Federation takes this early opportunity to strongly condemn attempts by hired goons to disrupt and hijack its Annual General Meeting that was slated for Sameta Lodge in Kisii County on Friday.”
According to the FKF: “It has emerged that a group of fake delegates and hecklers invaded the venue in advance courtesy of Nick Mwenda and some Kenya Premier League club officials, who had gone to great lengths of even flying them to Kisumu from different parts of the country in an effort of causing violence in order to deny genuine football stakeholders their opportunity to transact the business of the day.”
Continuing in a similar vein, the Federation accuses Nick Mwenda and KPL officials of “an act of cowardice” and, “a futile effort of using unlawful and undemocratic means of wrestling power of the game.”
Nick Mwenda replied to the accusations, saying “It is clear to every stakeholder of the game in Kenya and the Kenyan people that the individuals charged with the mandate to administer the game and provide leadership have lacked ideas and subsequently led us to the wrong direction for a number of years.
“The latest claim by FKF President that I was involved in hiring of illegal delegates at the general meeting on Friday is yet another gimmick to try and salvage a lost cause. All his claims are baseless and triggered by his fear that for the first time delegates and football stakeholders have rejected his leadership.”
“I was not at the AGM despite my team being fourth on the league standing and all other clubs from first to sixth being invited. I respected his decision and stayed away from the meeting.”
Nakuru chairman, Robert Muthomi, argued Nyamweya went against the constitution by postponing the meeting, saying: “We were very disappointed with what happened in Kisii because the AGM was very important since the election is coming at the end of the year. The delegates were determined to bring change to the management of Kenyan football by creating a federation that has strong structures but what we saw is violation of our constitution.
“Our constitution does not allow AGM to be postponed on grounds of insecurity but only due to lack of quorum. We had over 40 delegates which is a simple majority as required.”
According to Muthomi, a six member committee chaired by Nakuru Town East MP, David Gikaria has been set up which will facilitate calling of a Special General Meeting to discuss the original Agenda that had been proposed.
Whilst the FKF has rescheduled the AGM for August 28, the chances of Nyamweya relinquishing power quietly are extremely slim and the concern of rivals is that the president and his supporters will seek to manipulate the agenda and composition of the AGM in order to disqualify rival candidates for the leadership.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734922391labto1734922391ofdlr1734922391owedi1734922391sni@r1734922391ebab.1734922391kram1734922391