Election of Kenyan football chief gets challenged

The election of Sam Nyamweya as Football Kenya Association (FKA) chairman has been challenged at the High Court in Nairobi on Monday. In a suit filed under a certificate of urgency, the Kenya Slums Youth Development Organization (KESYDO) and other Civil Society Organisations are seeking the election of Nyamweya declared null and void. "KESYDO carried a through audit of the electoral process managed by the FIFA appointed Independent Electoral Board (IEB) and has discovered gross flaws particularly that favored Nyamweya and overlooked the very rules IEB published and enforced against all other candidates except for Nyamweya," the coordinator of the civic right body, Benji Ndolo said. "To keep quiet and allow Nyamweya's chairmanship to stand will be a national offering to the gods of corruption, rigging and cheating. Our constitution was not passed in vain and the Minister for Youth and Sport must tell the nation where he is basing his endorsement for Nyamweya." Nyamweya is in Zurich for scheduled meetings with top FIFA officials including President Sepp Blatter on Tuesday. "We will write to FIFA not to accept his papers this afternoon (Monday). This is the chance for FIFA who have been involved in cases of high corruption to show they mean their word when they promised to fight corruption by refusing to uphold his election," KESYDO chairman, Cyprian Nyamwamu added. The litigants claim to have unearthed evidence that Nyamweya bought his way to the top football office, failing to get tax clearance from the Kenya Revenue Authority and the fact he has pending corruption cases in court that diminish his integrity as a leader in public office. FKA chief executive officer Omondi Aduda termed the suit malicious. "Whom have they sued for the outcome of the election? If they had grounds to challenge the candidature of Nyamweya, they should have done it before the elections not when they are already over. There was all the time to do that," Aduda charged. Nyamweya won the Oct. 29 unified elections that brought an end to the parallel governing bodies, Football Kenya Limited and Kenya Football Federation which he led. Already, FIFA and the government who collaborated to organize the elections have expressed support for his election, paving way for his ascendancy to the top position. KESYDO is seeking to have fresh elections for the top seat organized by the Commissioner for Sports office with the newly constituted Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission holding them. "We have no problem with the other officials (national executive). (Sammy) Sholei can take over the chairmanship in the interim as other elections are organized. Allowing this to go unchallenged is a bad sign for next year's General Elections," Nyamwamu asserted. Shollei was elected the FKA vice-chair as the running mate of beaten nearest challenger for the top seat, Hussein Mohammed.