NYENDE: Why Nick Mwendwa's FKF tenure is destined to end in

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In Summary

This telling quote, “all political careers end in failure” is often attributed to British politician, classical scholar and author John Enoch Powell.

Could the same be said of tenures of successive Kenyan football federation leaders?

History is replete with these men gaining office with much promise only to leave in ignominy.

Just to pick a few examples. John Kasyoka, a former accomplished athlete, tennis player and footballer was elected Kenya Football Association (KFA) chairman in 1964. From my little research there isn’t much about his reign. What I know, his office was dissolved by then Sports Minister Ronald Ngala four years later, the league suspended and a caretaker committee formed.

Many people may not know that the self-proclaimed “people’s watchman”, the late Martin Shikuku had a controversy laden two-year stint as KFA chairman from 1972. He was accused of favouritism and lack of accountability, his flawed modus operandi even discussed in Parliament. The government subsequently dissolved the federation and appointed an interim committee.

Kenneth Matiba - God bless his soul - is considered one of the most successful football bosses Kenya has ever had. Ironically, Matiba formed a rival body, Kenya Football Federation (KFF) in 1973 after losing to Williams Ngaah in elections for the KFA chairman’s position. He led KFF for five years before summarily resigning amidst wrangles to pursue active politics.

The late Job Omino served as KFF chairman for two terms from 1984 to 1992. Famously, his office will be remembered for earning Kenya the rights to host the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations that were later withdrawn for lack of government support.

His second term also ended inauspiciously. The federation was accused of misusing money from the Youth Levy Fund, disbanded by the government and yet another caretaker committee constituted.

CORRUPTION

Former Coca-Cola honcho Maina Kariuki was elected chairman in 2001, and coming from the corporate world, fluttered to deceive. It was anticipated he would inject professionalism and concomitant management rigour to football administration. His reign was anything but that. Repeated accusations of corruption led to Sports Minister Francis Nyenze dissolving the federation a year later only for the courts to save Maina’s office. Ironically, Maina and two of his top officials were later charged in court with corruption.

That scandal riddled office was inevitably, again, disbanded in 2004 by the government, attracting a world ban. A Fifa-initiated normalisation committee was eventually formed that oversaw new polls and entry of new chairman, former AFC Leopards kingpin Alfred Sambu.

After him came Mohammed Hatimy, then Sam Nyamweya, all tenures ending in agony and acrimony.

Now Nick Mwendwa, elected Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president by an overwhelming majority in 2016, is under siege, his office in disarray.

He tried to get re-elected, practically unopposed, twice in December and March but the Sports Dispute Tribunal annulled both polls ruling they did not comply with the laws of the land.

The tribunal, in its last decision, succinctly indicated that the tenure of the federation’s National Executive Committee had ended and a normalisation committee needed to be constituted to manage the affairs of the federation and ultimately hold elections to pick new office bearers.

Mwendwa has been hard pressed to account for the Sh240 million government grant for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals. The federation has also been on the spot for quite a while over how they spent Sh125 million to purchase an OB van that was never delivered by some Britain-based company that has since gone under.

DCI SUMMON

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations summoned Mwendwa last week for questioning over these allegations of financial impropriety.

Following the forced visit to Mazingira House, Mwendwa came out swinging. In an interview with NTV he said he had in fact been to the DCI offices four times before, that this was “normal” and his opponents “feared” him. In his characteristically verbose self, he charged it was all about money and elections, and his rivals trying to uproot him and his “good” work.

Meanwhile, he has failed to give concrete directions on how the federation will pay former Harambee Stars coaches Adel Amrouche Sh109 million, Bobby Williamson Sh55 million as awarded by different courts. FYI, the federation refused to take responsibility for these disputed payments forcing the two coaches to seek judicial intervention.

In the NTV interview, Mwendwa blamed his woes on politics, blamed everybody else for the game’s problems in Kenya but himself. He then crowed he would not be intimidated by these "noises" in his quest to retain the FKF presidency.

Guided by the federation’s history, I say this could end in tears for him. Or failure for that matter.

cnyende@ke.nationmedia.com