The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Electoral Board has announced that all preparations are in place for the county elections scheduled for this Saturday, with 44 polling stations set to host the event nationwide.
The Board has distributed ballot materials to each county and held a virtual briefing on Thursday afternoon to provide final guidance to candidates and ensure they understand the electoral process.
Chairman Hesbon Owilla confirmed that the Board has contracted a private security logistics firm to handle electoral materials safely and securely. Additionally, the Board trained over 100 electoral officials to serve as returning and presiding officers, aiming to ensure smooth and efficient election operations.
“We’re ready to go,” Owilla stated, adding that Nairobi East has the highest delegate count at 167, while Kirinyaga and Makueni have the lowest, each with just seven delegates.
Earlier in the week, the Board briefed the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture in Parliament.
Owilla emphasized to lawmakers, led by Kabete MP James Wamacukuru, that all necessary measures are in place to ensure a transparent, fair, and credible election.
CS Murkomen and FKF Electoral Board Clash Over Nick Mwendwa’s Candidacy
These preparations follow a disagreement between Owilla and Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen over outgoing FKF President Nick Mwendwa’s candidacy in the upcoming national elections on December 7.
On Tuesday, Murkomen informed the National Assembly’s Sports and Culture Committee that Mwendwa is legally barred from running as Doris Petra’s running mate.
Petra, who has served as Mwendwa’s deputy during his two terms as federation president, was cleared alongside Mwendwa by the Electoral Board to participate in the elections.
“For as long as we are doing the FKF elections on enforcement of term limits, it is not tenable by law for a former president to run as vice president,” said Murkomen.
“Anyone who thinks there is absence of law in my opinion is misinterpreting the law… as long as we said that we will be having term limits, it is not possible, it is not neat, it is not nice and it is not even morally good to find yourself in a place of being a president and then tomorrow vice president. I think it is just black and white,” added the CS.
However, speaking before the same committee on Tuesday evening, Owilla argued that the 2017 FKF Constitution permits Mwendwa to run as a running mate in the upcoming elections.
“Article 37 of FKF’s Constitution clearly states that the president, upon completing his term, is free to run for any other position,” Owilla explained.
Christine Odhiambo, the legal officer for the National Assembly’s Sports and Culture Committee, supported Owilla’s interpretation.
“The law allows Mwendwa to contest for any position, including the deputy role,” Odhiambo stated, also referencing Article 37 of the 2017 FKF Constitution.
