World football governing body, Fifa, on Thursday asked the Kenyan government to repeal the decision to disband Football Kenya Federation and install a caretaker committee or the country will remain in the cold indefinitely.
In a letter to the disbanded federation’s secretary general Barry Otieno, Fifa asked the government to: “repeal of the Cabinet Secretary’s decision of 11 November 2021 appointing the caretaker committee in lieu of the elected FKF Executive Committee.”
The world governing body said it would only lift the suspension upon “receipt of confirmation from the FKF and its management, led by Vice-President Doris Petra and General Secretary Barry Otieno that the FKF and its premises are once more under their full and unconditional control.”
This was moments after Fifa President Gianni Infantino announced the country’s indefinite suspension from all football activities during the Fifa Council Press Conference.
“Without prejudice to any investigations by national authorities or other judicial bodies, the Fifa Council also decided to suspend the Football Kenya Federation and the Zimbabwe Football Association with immediate effect due to undue interference by a third party,” Infantino said.
Kenya’s Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed, on November 11 last year disbanded the Nick Mwendwa-led Football Kenya Federation and installed a Caretaker Committee to, among other things, run football activities in accordance with the federation’s constitution.
Amina appointed Retired Justice Aaron Ringera to lead the caretaker committee, while journalist Lindah Oguttu was installed as the head of the secretariat.
Fifa Secretary General Fatma Samoura wrote to the Kenyan authorities twice after the disbandment of the federation, asking the government to, at the very least, re-instate the secretariat of the body as they continue to look for a solution.
FKF president Mwendwa was arrested on two separate occasions and charged with graft, before stepping aside. His deputy Doris Petra has since taken over.
Despite Amina assuring Kenyans several times that the government was in touch with Fifa and in control of all football activities, the national football women’s football team, Harambee Starlets, was barred from competing in the last round of the qualifiers for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations against Uganda.
On January 28 last month, CAF wrote to Uganda’s football federation, Fufa, notifying them that their team had qualified for the continental football showpiece after Kenya “withdrew from the competition.”
The national women’s Under-17 team was also set to face South Africa next month in a two-leg Fifa World Cup qualifier.
Kenya’s suspension now means the country will be barred from fielding any team in any competitive event outside the country. These includes the men and women’s football teams and clubs.
Similarly, referees will be barred from international assignments while no locally-based Kenyan footballer will be allowed to complete a professional transfer during the duration of the suspension.
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