FKF NEC Members List Missteps that Have Plunged Kenyan Football into Crisis as they Propose Solutions

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Executive Committee (NEC) members have responded to a number of claims made by president Hussein Mohammed regarding the state of Kenyan football.

Kenyan football is currently in a mess that has seen the FKF Premier League fail to kick off due to a number of court cases while the federation’s top leadership is deeply divided.

Responding to the crisis, Mohammed blamed courts for stalling the league, even though his team has also sought legal redress in the very courts, while he also stated that he has attempted to resolve his differences with the breakaway NEC members, who are allied to his vice president McDonald Mariga, without success.

“Four times, I have tried to convene meetings, that question should be asked to the ones not willing to sit on the table,” Mohammed told the media on Monday when asked why he cannot resolve his issues with the Mariga-led NEC members.

However, on Tuesday, the NEC members accused Mohammed of high-handedness, claiming the federation boss has not been open to divergent opinions, leading to the current crisis.

“It is not accurate to suggest that there have been four unsuccessful attempts to engage NEC members in the manner presented,” the NEC members stated through a statement.

“NEC members remain ready and willing to attend a properly convened NEC meeting at the earliest opportunity, provided that the meeting is conducted in accordance with the FKF Constitution and established governance procedures to deliberate priority agenda items.”

The group claims the federation is fully to blame for the current mess and it cannot distance itself from the court cases challenging the Premier League promotion and relegation regulations.

“The current situation cannot be addressed through an appeal to the Judiciary while ignoring the circumstances that have contributed to the proliferation of litigation. We as FKF, set an unfortunate precedent by taking football disputes to the ordinary courts, including in the Nairobi United FC v Gor Mahia FC matter,” the NEC members stated, revealing the genesis of the current impasse that has delayed the league.

“It is therefore inconsistent to invoke the courts when convenient and subsequently criticize stakeholders for seeking judicial redress. The Federation must apply the same standard to itself and its stakeholders. The courts have issued directives concerning the matters before them. We must comply with those directives and implement our own Constitution and applicable regulations accordingly.

“The solution is therefore not to ask the Judiciary to stay away from football. The immediate responsibility is for FKF to do the right thing within the law, comply with existing court directives and restore certainty to the football calendar.”

The officials also claim the federation has shot itself in the foot by failing to have fully-operational judicial bodies where aggrieved parties can file their complaints, forcing them to run to ordinary courts.

“The Federation's Constitution provides for mechanisms through which football-related disputes should be addressed internally. The continued failure to establish and operationalize these bodies has effectively paralyzed FKF's internal dispute-resolution system,” the statement further says.

“As a consequence, members increasingly have no effective internal avenue for resolving grievances and disputes and have been compelled to seek redress through external mechanisms, including the courts.

“This is a governance failure that we, NEC, must urgently correct. There is no sustainable solution to the current crisis without restoring credible, independent and properly constituted internal judicial mechanisms.”

The NEC members also contradict Mohammed’s stance that acting FKF CEO Dennis Gicheru is in office legally, pending the determination of a case filed by his predecessor Harold Ndege, which will be heard in April 2027, insisting that he was appointed for a six-month period, which elapsed, and only the NEC can extend it, something that has not happened.

The officials are therefore proposing an urgent meeting that will come up with modalities on how the league will kick off without falling foul to court processes, put in place FKF’s judicial bodies and appoint a new CEO.

“The current crisis cannot be resolved through blame or appeals directed at other institutions. It requires institutional leadership, constitutional compliance, respect for court directives, genuine dialogue and immediate decisions,” the statement states.