High Court suspends National Olympic Committee of Kenya elections
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President Paul Tergat, IEBC County Elections Manager Albert Gogo and IEBC Westlands Constituency Senior Elections Officer Muthee Gakuru engage during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on April 22, 2025.
The High Court has temporarily suspended National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) elections pending the determination of a case filed by four petitioners.
On Thursday, Justice Reuben Nyakundi suspended the elections which were to take place on Thursday, and directed the case to be heard on Monday, June 23, 2025.
But postponement of the exercise was met with accusations and counter-accusations from rival camps.
Justice Nyakundi certified as urgent an application filed on June 18 by Joycelene Leah Nyambura, Francis Kinyili Paul, Andrew Mudibo and Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA).
Nyambura is the Kenya Triathlon Federation chairperson, Mudibo is the KTTA boss, while Kinyili Paul is Kenya Handball Federation chairman. In the application, the petitioners had sued the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which was meant to conduct the elections, IEBC Returning Officer Muthee Gakuru, Kenya Triathlon Federation Secretary General Salinik Ole Koiyiet, Kenya Handball Federation Secretary General Ndiritu Gikaria, NOC-K, and Sports Registrar Rose Wasike.
“I am satisfied the petitioners have an arguable case,” Justice Nyakundi observed while suspending the elections.
He directed that the respondents be served with the suit documents before June 23 when the matter will be heard interparte.
“Take notice that any disobedience or non-observance of the order of the court served herewith will result in Penal consequences to you and any other person(s),” Justice Nyakundi ordered.
NOC-K First Deputy President Shadrack Maluki and NOC-K Secretary General Francis Mutuku are seeking to replace legendary distance runner Paul Tergat as NOC-K chairman in the elections. The postponement of the elections was met with accusations and counter-accusations from the two camps.
Maluki’s camp called for the disbandment of the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT), accusing one particular judge of bias following the dismissal of most of the cases his allies had taken to the tribunal.
On the other hand, Mutuku’s camp accused their rivals of developing cold feet and trying to buy time through cases at the SDT, and at the High Court. Mutuku said that their votes at the elections have failed to favour them.
NOC-K elections aborted for the first time on April 24 after four federations - Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF), Kenya Triathlon Federation (KTF), Kenya Handball Federation (KHF) and Kenya Taekwondo Federation (KTF) failed to agree on who between the president and secretary general would carry their vote at NOC-K’s elections.
Milimani High Court Judge Justice Bahati Mwamuye had on the morning of the elections (April 24) ordered that the four federations be allowed to vote . This was after IEBC had bared them from the exercise after flouting elections rules.
Mwamuye would later revoke the orders on April 28 after realising that the petitioners (Taekwondo) had not drawn to his attention two orders of the SDT that had previously allowed the elections to continue but under some conditions.
As NOC-K prepared to announce the new date for the election, NOC-K Executive Committee member Paul Otula, who was also the Kenya Basketball Federation chairman, died on May 1.
SDT had on Wednesday declared Mudibo and KTTA executive illegal. KTTA had sought registration with Sports Registrar on June 3, this year, a decade after expiry of the allowed transition period.