AFCON 2027: How FKF Squabbles Could Hurt Kenya’s Hosting Chances

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is currently a house on fire following the decision by a majority of the National Executive Committee (NEC) members to suspend president Hussein Mohammed.

Mohammed is sidelined by the top decision-making body at FKF over claims of graft with nominated NEC member Yusuf Ibrahim and acting CEO Dennis Gicheru also among the three who have been ousted.

While the Sports Disputes Tribunal has since given Mohammed a temporary relief by suspending his ouster and FIFA asked to be furnished with documents that show due process was followed, the wrangling at FKF has huge ramifications, especially on Kenya’s hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

As one of the co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya should be fully focused on ensuring the demands of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are met but some of the men and women tasked with delivering a successful AFCON are not seeing eye-to-eye.

The 12 NEC members who ousted Mohammed and replaced him with Mariga in an acting capacity as well as the embattled FKF boss and Ibrahim are part of the AFCON 2027 Local Organising Committee (LOC) and it is difficult to see how they will all sit in one meeting and agree on certain things.

Mohammed is the vice chairperson of the AFCON LOC, chaired by Nicholas Musonye, while the Mariga-led faction of FKF has him, Peter Kamau, Robert Macharia, Dan Shikanda, Ahmed Qadar Dabar, Gabriel Mghendi, Kerubo Momanyi, Bernard Lagat, Collins Kalee, Caleb Amwayi, Ken Rungu, Charles Njagi among the committee members.

With a clearly divided federation, it is hard to see how they will successfully deliver AFCON 2027 and it may need some tough calls from the higherups within the Kenyan government, tournament organiser CAF or FIFA to bring sanity, otherwise Kenyans and East Africa would be in for a chaotic year leading up to the event.

“I am in constant contact with some of the members of TFF and FUFA and they are slightly ahead of Kenya. That is why it is a bit disheartening. The tournament belongs to CAF but CAF has given us and Uganda and Tanzania the hosting rights,” former FKF CEO Lordvick Aduda said on Citizen TV on Monday.

“We should not be having such kind of squabbles at this particular moment. Both factions now, should rise up and realise that they are putting chances for Kenya hosting AFCON at jeopardy,” added the seasoned football administrator, who was also co-opted into the AFCON 2027 LOC when the team was reconstituted last month.

FIFA gave the Mariga-led faction up to May 1 to provide all the necessary documents while the matter is set for mention at the tribunal four days later but the legal processes will likely not end the animosity that exists within FKF.

For now, it may look like just factional fights but it will not be long before the full effects begin to be felt and it could spill over to President William Ruto’s pet subject of AFCON 2027 which he will not allow at a time he is seeking re-election.

We are certainly in for an interesting next few months within Kenyan football.