NAIROBI, Kenya, October 31- Indications that a new dawn in Kenyan football was hatched during Saturday’s national elections is evident as erstwhile rivals stepped up to congratulate the winners.
However, the new office that will be led by Sam Nyamweya with former Harambee Stars and Tusker FC midfielder, Sammy Sholei in the national chair and vice-chairmanship positions were yet to be formally installed in office by Monday afternoon as expected.
Omondi Aduda, who named the interim CEO of Football Kenya by the poll winner, told Capital Sport, “We are waiting to be given the time and venue when the official declaration will be made.”
But messages of goodwill for the new team continued being issued with the second tier club competition Nationwide Football League (NFL) among those that rend their voice in the steady chorus that started Saturday when Nyamweya was announced the winner.
“The elections were free and fair and those who won did so convincingly and those who lost were beaten fair and square. We respect the verdict of the electorate is as much as it may not be reflective of the wishes of the majority of football lovers, who are yearning for reforms in football administration,” their statement read.
It added, “Those are hazards of democracy that we must accept and contend with. However we are gratified with the presence of Shollei who is the new face of change.”
NFL, through their convener Kennedy Onyonyi, sought assurances from the new administration that there would be no unwarranted interference with the smooth running of the country’s leagues.
The Kenyan Premier League which runs the country’s top tier club competition conveyed their best wishes for the new team on Sunday with other beaten contenders to the top post, Mohammed Hatimy, Ambrose Rachier and Esther Shako also urging the football fraternity to work with the Nyamweya team.
Sources told Capital Sport that the top two and other National Executive Committee (NEC) members were locked in closed talks on Monday afternoon with representatives from Interim Electoral Board (IEB), the Government and world body FIFA to thrash out modalities of the official hand over.
Nyamweya’s camp swept five of the eight NEC seats while his closest challenger for the top seat, Hussein Mohammed whose running mate Sholei bagged the number two seat has one other member, Coast representative Hussein Terry, in the top football management organ.
George Njogu (Central), Doris Mao (Rift Valley), Anjeline Mwikali (Eastern), Elly Mukolwe (Western) and Tom Otieno (Nyanza) are the Nyamweya camp NEC members.
Robert Asembo (Nairobi) and unopposed Mulah Mohammed (North Eastern) complete the executive’s line-up.
“Given the dark past of some of the elected office bearers, we need reassurance that they have changed for the better and will demonstrate integrity in management of football,” Onyonyi stressed.
“We wish to particularly humbly request the new chairman to craft his statements carefully to defuse anxiety. Already his earlier statement to the effect that he will cancel and renegotiate KPL sponsorship deal with SuperSport has had a direct effect on a title sponsorship deal that NFL was due to conclude,” he advised.
