NOCK deputy secretary general James Chacha (left) during the meeting that was aborted on Friday, MAY 5, 2017 at a Nairobi Hotel.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 5 – The much anticipated National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) elections slated for Friday morning in Nairobi have been called off after the Kenya Taekwondo Federation obtained an injunction temporarily putting the process on hold.
NOCK president Kipchoge Keino adjourned the Extra Ordinary General Assembly which was also set to be an elective assembly with the injunction served just before the process started.
The case will be heard on Monday.
Security personnel leaving the venue after the meeting was called off.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
“I was shocked to receive the Court Order,” said Keino while adjoining the meeting that was attended by all the 27 federations.
“This shows we are not working in unity but I thank the federations that have put Kenya’s name on the map. I don’t want to go against the law of the land because we received two orders from the Sports Dispute Tribunal and an Injunction from the High Court of Kenya filed by the Taekwondo Association, directing that today’s meeting cannot proceed until the matter is heard on Monday. Therefore I adjourn the meeting,” Keino declared.
The Taekwondo Federation was one of the two federations barred from participating in the elections over issues of registration under the Registrar of Societies alongside the Kenya Cycling Federation.
“In all elections you will always have sideshows and circuses happening and in this regard I don’t want to say it is a delay. For you to win a political seat, people will try any strategies that they have and this might be a strategy for someone.”
“But as far as we are concerned even with elections being postponed, they will still happen soon or later and we will have to move forward,” Kenya Table Tennis Association boss Andrew Mudibo vying for the Secretary General’s seat said.
Kenya Volleyball Federation’s Moses Mbuthia ponders next move after the NOCK elections were called off.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
The latest development is set to put Kenya at loggerheads with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which had given the country an ultimatum to put its house in order.
The IOC had directed that all the federations under NOCK that started the process be included and allowed to vote then sort out the pending issues later on.
NOCK Election Board Omweri Angima speaking to media after the meeting was adjourned.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
The Center for Multiparty Democracy –Kenya, a body mandated to oversee the elections distant itself from the call-off, saying they were ready to conduct the polls.
“We had already made all the arrangements but we got these injunctions this morning. From our side, we were ready to do the elections but now that we got this Court Order it means that we are going to spend more time. Arising from what the court says on Monday we will adjust ourselves accordingly,” Center for Multiparty Democracy –Kenya NOCK electoral board chairman Omweri Angima said.
“To clear the candidates we were relying on the NOCK constitution and the elections act 2013. We were brought on board because we are independent, we have no interest so we are very objective and whenever we had to make decision we did it and explained in writing.”
