NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 20 – Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has accused Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa for purporting to resume control of leadership of the game in the country.
Mwendwa, on Tuesday, led other officials in reopening the federation’s offices at the Fifa Goal Project near Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
However, Amina said the action was illegal and essentially a break-in into a restricted facility.
“My attention has been drawn to a break-in at the FKF offices at Kasarani. The information is that the break-in was led by indicted FKF officials, who were legally removed following an inspection by the Office of the Sports Registrar,” Amina said.
The two have been at loggerheads after Amina’s decision to disband FKF in November last year after which she appointed a caretaker committee – and later, a transition committee – to oversee affairs of the game.
Mwendwa was subsequently hauled to court for corruption-related charges and, alongside other officials, was barred from accessing FKF’s offices.
World football governing body, Fifa, responded by indefinitely suspending Kenya, insisting upon the reinstatement of Mwendwa and FKF as the rightful administrators of the game.
Commenting on the latest turn of events, Amina further insisted that her actions to disband the federation were vindicated by a court of law.
She said Mwendwa’s actions to reopen the federation’s offices amounts to disobedience of court orders.
“The decision by the Ministry of Sports, Culture & Heritage on November 11, 2021 has since been upheld by the Ruling of the High Court of Kenya on May 10, 2022,” the CS said.
Amina added: “It is instructive to note that this decision rendered in May has not been vacated/reversed and the FKF Transition Committee remains in office and in charge of football management in Kenya.”
She pointed out that the transition committee has been hard at work to rectify the ills of Mwendwa’s administration including failure to comply with the Constitution of Kenya and the Sports Act, misappropriation of funds, irregular appointment of board members and unprocedural hiring and sacking of national team coaches, among other issues.
“The reasons the FKF NEC was removed from office according to the Sports Registrar’s Inspection Report dated November 5, 2021 and which the FKF Transition Committee is addressing,” Amina said.