NAIROBI, May 19 – Fifa-backed chair of Kenya Football Federation (KFF) Mohammed Hatimy moved to court on Monday to challenge a ruling made last week barring him and his group from running the affairs of the troubled football governing body.
Hatimy filed an appeal under a certificate of urgency seeking to review an order by Justice Hatari Waweru delivered on May 16, which ousted him from the leadership of KFF.
His lawyer Judith Aulo told High court Judge, Justice Alnashir Visram, that her client was seeking ‘urgent review’ of the ruling since the world soccer governing body, FIFA, had no one to communicate with in Kenya.
She said: “My lord, we are here because the defendants have been injuncted from being officials of the federation and therefore the country is in a serious quandary.”
She argued that the question of the federation’s leadership was already before the court and had not been settled.
Justice Alsnashir Visram certified the application as urgent, and asked Aulo to mention it before trial Judge, Justice Hatari Waweru on Wednesday.
Hatimy and group strangers
In Friday’s ruling, Justice Waweru had stated that chairman Sam Nyamweya, vice chair, Twaha Mbarak and Secretary General, Peter Ochiel were the bona fide officials of KFF.
He ruled: “Football in Kenya is an important sport and it cannot be gain-said that that the affairs of the football governing body can be run by strangers.”
Justice Waweru observed that the Hatimy led faction had wrongly and illegally constituted itself as genuine officials of KFF.
“The material before the court at the interlocutory stage establishes, prima facie that the plaintiffs, and not the defendants, are not the bona fide officials of KFF,” Justice Waweru ruled.
The judge also ruled that allowing Hatimy and his group to lead the federation could cause ‘irreparable damage’.
The appeal comes as a reactionary by Hatimy and his group Titus Kasuve, Sammy Obingo and Jacob Odundo after failure to adequately respond to affidavits filed while the case was in course.
At the same time, Kenya Premier League (KPL) has appointed Francis Kimanzi to coach a KPL All Stars team.
Speaking on Monday, KPL Vice Chairman Gerald Chege said they had been forced to the move due to the ongoing uncertainty over who’s’ in charge of the sport.
On his part, Kimanzi was overwhelmed by his appointed which was done by all KPL head coaches.
"I am overwhelmed by this appointment which has probably come a bit too early in my career. Nevertheless, i will give it my best shot," he said.
Former national team coaches Jacob Ghost Mulee, Zedekiah Otieno and Twahir Muhiddin opted out of the running, which saw all coaches vote over who would be in charge.
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