Why Sammy 'Kempes' Owino believes CAS is crucial for fair FKF elections

Why Sammy 'Kempes' Owino believes CAS is crucial for fair FKF elections

Festus Chuma 08:22 - 08.09.2024

Sammy 'Kempes' Owino has petitioned CAS to review the FKF electoral code challenging its fairness ahead of the upcoming elections.

Former Harambee Stars player and FKF presidential aspirant Sammy 'Kempes' Owino has taken a significant step towards challenging what he perceives as unfair election practices within the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).

Owino filed a petition at the Court for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland on September 3, seeking to amend the electoral code set for the upcoming FKF elections.

The petition follows a Special General Meeting (SGM) held on August 24, where the FKF General Assembly passed a revised electoral code. This new code was meant to address previous complaints from members.

However, Kempes argues that the changes are insufficient for ensuring a democratic election process.

"The federation has and continues to be faced with legal challenges. The only sensible path forward to help the state of football for now is through a Normalisation Committee by FIFA. These challenges are inevitable in view of the current situation regardless of who wins the upcoming elections," Kempes stated during a press conference in Nairobi as quoted by Citizen Digital.

Kempes, now a Software Engineer residing in the United States, further criticized the General Assembly for not tackling critical issues that, according to him, will directly impact the fairness of the elections.

He believes that the pathway chosen by the FKF through the recent SGM will not lead to a free, fair, and credible election. Instead, it will exclude qualified individuals and clubs from participating, despite the electoral code changes.

"It will also result in continued litigation," Kempes added.

The controversy around the electoral code is not just about the specifics of the revisions but also about who gets to run for the presidency.

The code stipulates that candidates must have been actively involved in football as a player, coach, referee, club official, or NEC member, among other roles, within the last two years before the elections. This requirement could potentially disqualify many aspiring candidates, including Kempes himself, from the race.

When asked about his eligibility given his dual citizenship status, Kempes was clear.

"According to the constitution, dual citizenship only prevents you from running for specified positions in the government, and FKF presidency is not one of them. The courts have made decisions on that, so for me it is a non-issue," he clarified .

This legal battle comes at a critical time for Kenyan football, as the country prepares for several major international events.

These include the FIFA World Cup for Under-17 women, the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and co-hosting the 2025 CHAN alongside Tanzania and Uganda.

The urgency of resolving these electoral disputes is underscored by the need for a functional and legitimate FKF office to oversee these events.

Hussein Mohammed, another presidential aspirant, echoed a similar sentiment in a recent interview, highlighting the necessity of having a credible election roadmap.

Despite participating in the SGM that passed the contentious electoral code, Mohammed expressed concerns over its credibility and the silence of some members during the meeting.

"We really needed to have the ball rolling, so we had to start from somewhere as the tenure of the current office bearers is coming to an end soon. We hope sense will prevail when we present ourselves to the Electoral Board, and we will have an all-inclusive election," he stated.

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