FKF President Nick Mwendwa handing the ball to Deputy President William Ruto at Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium.
NAIROBI, February 12 – Just 24 hours after Nick Mwendwa was elected Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss, Deputy President William Ruto has called on the youth to demand results from the new management.
Ruto urged Mwendwa to realign the federation’s constitution with the Sports Act after the delegates agreed to comply with the Registrar of Sports.
Mwendwa will be required to meet with FIFA Head of Association Primo Carvaro to align the FKF constitution with the world football governing body statutes and regulations.
With the past regime being accused of embezzlement of Harambee Stars funds, the Deputy President called on the new team to be transparent and accountable in the management of football in the country and transform the sport back to its glory.
“We must allow football back to its old days when Kenyans loved the sport… when players played for the love of the game and when Kenyans went to watch games. The people demand the newly elected officials to exercise transparency, accountability and the highest level of integrity in the management of football for the sake of the children,” Ruto stated.
“Next week, FIFA gets a new President. FKF and FIFA are beginning new eras of transparency and goodwill. Our doors in government are open to the two new presidents of football,” he added while urging the private sector to partner with FKF.
Mwendwa who took charge for four years faces a huge task of bringing sanity in the game and already there is uncertainty over the composition of the 2016 Kenyan Premier League.
The 37 year-old insists there will be 18 teams this season even as the league is set to kick-off this weekend.
KPL on their part maintain their stand of 16 teams but Mwendwa who is set to meet the league body officials was positive they will reach to an agreement.
“We want to work with everybody because we don’t want to have two sides in football anymore. I have been clear since October that my team stands for 18 teams. We have asked for a meeting with KPL in the next 24 hours to discuss over the same.”
“Obviously the league will start this weekend and it will start since I don’t feel we have a reason to stop it although we would have preferred if it began with 18 teams. We want KPL to run the league that will consist of 18 teams, I know the issue has been finance but together we can find the money,” Mwendwa declared.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the past regime and KPL in August last year with both sides agreeing to deliberate on the matter before the league kicks-off but Mwendwa disclosed that FIFA have not received the document.
“I had a talk with FIFA after the elections and they were clear that no MOU was sent to them.”
