End football poll wrangles - Daily Nation

The ongoing tussle over the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) election creates a bad atmosphere for the country and can easily court a ban from world football governing body, Fifa.

Efforts by the FKF top brass to have Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed accompany them to Zurich for a meeting with Fifa on Wednesday to unlock the stalemate failed after the ministry insisted on an election within the confines of the Sports Act.

The election was initially set for December 7, but was cancelled by the Sports Dispute Tribunal chaired by John Ohaga due to insufficient public participation and an improperly constituted Electoral Board.

Fifa then stepped in when governance boss Sara Solemale visited Kenya after the aborted election.

It goes without saying that FKF officials are reluctant to follow the rules and won’t comply with the Act and register counties as required until after the elections.

That was evident during the FKF Special General Meeting on Tuesday last week, when FKF argued it’s expensive to have representation and elections in sub-counties as the law demands.

They then went ahead to pick another board to organise the election.

These piecemeal changes won’t do; hence, FKF must create a level playing field for everyone instead of trying to push the CS into unnecessary meetings.

The newly constituted FKF electoral board must be non-partisan. It should conduct free and fair elections as per the law and no one should be locked out.

We acknowledge that Fifa have rules but the laws of the land supersede any other.

Football has a busy year ahead with the women’s and men’s Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers. FKF should put its act together and concentrate on development of football.