The much-anticipated National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) elections failed to take place for a 2nd time today, following a court stop order issued by the High Court of Eldoret.
The stop order was issued on Thursday morning by Justice Nyakundi in a case filed by Triathlon President Joyceline Nyambura under certificate of urgency after being barred from participating in today’s election.
Justice Nyakundi has set the hearing of the case for the 23rd of this month.
It is the second time the election has been postponed after l 24th,, when four federations ;Kenya Volleyball, Kenya Triathlon, Taekwondo and Kenya Handball disagreed on their voting delegates as directed by the Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT).
Addressing the media after the aborted election ,NOC-K Secretary General Francis Mutuku expressed optimism about settling the impasse,terming it mere political gimmicks from the two factions.
“I am sure at some some pointe will have to agree; what we are witnessing is purely politics, but It I am glad despite the delays we have an office in place and all NOC-K programmes are running as planned.” said Mutuku
Despite being optimistic, Mutuku is worried the ongoing push and pull could eventually taint the image of the Federation and even lead to sanctions from the International Olympic Committee of Kenya should the current situation persist for so long.
However, Team New Dawn, led by current 1st Vice President Shadrack Maluki, have raised concerns with their opponents, whom they claim are interfering with the electoral process.
Speaking to the media today on behalf of the group, Kenya Table Tennis President Andrew Mudibo questioned the conduct of one SDT member, Allan Mola, whom they claim has favoured their opponents in all filed petitions.
“Manifest Bias Against New Dawn-Affiliated Federations. In each case, the rulings systematically dismissed legitimate claims by federations affiliated with the New Dawn Coalition – Kenya Handball, Triathlon, Judo, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Cycling, Taekwondo and others – while upholding or protecting the status of rival federations or candidates aligned with the entrenched NOCK leadership.” Mudibo stated
The president’s position is a battle between outgoing 1st Vice Shadrack Maluki and outgoing Sec Gen Francis Mutuku, while the 1st president’s post is pitting NOCK executive Member Barnaba Korir, against Professional Boxing Federation boss Anthony Ombok, alias Jamal.
