National Olympics Committee of Kenya President Paul Tergat (centre) with Secretary General Francis Mutuku (left) and Vice President Shadrack Maluki during their Annual General Meeting in Nairobi on December 10, 2024.
The National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) elections scheduled for tomorrow seem headed for another round of disputes with some of the wrangling federations yet to resolve their disagreements as ordered by the Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT).
Last week was a busy period for SDT as it tried to resolve several cases that had emanated from the NOC-K elections that aborted on April 24 .
NOC-K first vice president Shadrack Maluki and secretary general Francis Mutuku are seeking to replace legendary Paul Tergat as president.
Cases by Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF), Kenya Triathlon Federation (KTF), Kenya Handball Federation (KHF) and Kenya Taekwondo Federation (KTF) officials were all seemingly settled with SDT instructing the parties to agree through their respective federations’ internal mechanism.
A case by Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) chairman Nashon Randiek to declare Squash Kenya not an affiliate of NOC-K and thus ineligible to vote was dismissed.
Kenya Hockey Union chairman Nashon Randiek. PHOTO | FILE |
KVF president Charles Nyaberi, KHF chairman Francis Paul and KTF president Joycelene Nyambura had filed separate cases with SDT wanting to be declared as the sole voters in the elections.
Nyaberi, Sumba, Randiek, Nyambura and Paul are all supporting Maluki.
Sumba, Randiek and Nyambura are also vying for positions via Mutuku’s camp.
All the SDT rulings directed that the elections should proceed based on NOC-K constitution, Sports Act and 2025 Elections Rules and Regulations.
In one of the key rulings against KTF chairman Sumba, the SDT told him to adhere to the 2025 Rules and Regulations that were proposed during the General Assembly on December 11 last year and adopted during the Extra Ordinary General Assembly on March 12 this year.
The 2025 Elections Rules and Regulations stated that the appointment of delegates for the Elective Congress must be signed by the Federations’ president and secretary general, clearly designating the delegate with voting rights.
Elective Congress
These rules have been the bone of contention that has seen, for the first time, chairmen and their secretary generals refusing to sign forms designating who would vote.
While the NOC-K constitution is quiet on who between the chairman and secretary general, who are the only delegates allowed to represent federations at the Elective Congress, should vote, it has been the norm and a sign of good governance that chairmen make the call.
This is something that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) delved into while trying to resolve the impasse stating that it is the chairman who should vote.
KVF convened a meeting on Monday that was attended by nine out of 15 executive committee members where secretary general Ismail Chege didn’t attend but with an apology.
Kenya Volleyball Federation President Charles Nyaberi .
“I won’t talk about it,” said Nyaberi in a telephone interview but Chege said he has not been furnished in what transpired during the meeting. “I am not in the loop on what transpired during the meeting and I haven’t been approached to sign anything,” he said. Nyambura has not been in good books with her executive led by Secretary General Salonik Ole Koyiet after reneging to run for an executive committee member post in Maluki’s team. The executive had settled on Ole Koyiet to contest on either side but felt betrayed by Nyambura.
Ol Koyiet declined to call for a Special General Meet and later Special Executive Committee Meeting as directed by Nyambura challenging the procedure as unconstitutional.
Acting in bad faith
Nyambura then directed Ole Koyiet’s deputy Lorna Gichore to call for a board meeting that was scheduled for Monday, June 17.
“We are not going to handle things this way when people do things in bad faith and the SDT rules against us,” said Nyambura.
“I won’t fight since we are acting like children here.”
“There is a procedure to be followed to call for a Special General Meeting so as to avoid legal implications. There is also nothing like a Special Executive Committee Meeting,” said Ole Koyiet.
Kenya Taekwondo Secretary General George Wesonga, who is at loggerheads with Sumba, told his boss to withdraw the case that is in court for them to agree on the way forward.
Sumba has a similar case at the High Court where Milimani High Court Judge Justice Bahati Mwamuye had on the morning of the elections (April 23) ordered taekwondo, volleyball, triathlon and handball federations be allowed to vote in the polls.
Mwamuye would later revoke the orders on April 28 after realising that the petitioners, who included Sumba, had not informed the court of two orders of the SDT that had allowed the elections to continue but under some conditions.
