Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has already initiated the process of conducting their elections this year. Dennis Mabuka and Edwin Otieno take a look at the key aspirants likely to lock horns.
Nick Mwendwa
Mwendwa has not officially declared his intentions to defend his seat, but all indications show that he would be at the ballot. He will certainly be the man to beat and most of the aspirants want him out of the race, however, the FKF constitution and Fifa statutes allows him to be on the ballot, it will be at his discretion to seek re-election or not.
After putting up a strong bid that helped the country win the joint Pamoja Bid to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time ever, Mwendwa may feel that he has some unfinished business in the office. Under his tenure, youth and women football have tremendously spruced up.
Twaha Mbarak
The current Bandari vice-chairman is not new when it comes to matters of football in Kenya. He has served in many capacities but the most noticeable one is when he was elected as the KFF vice chairman during the Nyamweya regime.
Mbarak, a businessman by profession, has tried to contest for the top seat, but withdrew from the race at advanced levels. Mbarak has promised to drastically change the football landscape if he gets to win the exercise set for later this year.
Nicholas Musonye
A journalist by profession, Musonye plunged into football circles when he was appointed the Secretary General of regional body CECAFA in 2000 under the influence of the then chairman Fara Addo, who was doubling as the CAF Vice-President.
Musonye played a key role in uplifting the standards of football in the CECAFA region that incorporates Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan and Djibouti.
The tough-talking master’s degree holder in Business Management served the CECAFA post for two decades before he voluntarily stepped down.
Sam Ocholla
Currently serving as the Secretary General of Premier League champions Gor Mahia, since August 2020, Ocholla will be eyeing the top seat for the first time. Ocholla has been credited with bankrolling the club’s youth team.
In a recent interview with People Sports, he outlined his agenda for football in the country if elected, saying he is the best bet to improve the standards of the sport.
He added that his reign will also create an environment where companies will invest in football via big sponsorship deals for players, clubs, leagues, and the national team.
Hussein Mohammed
The Extreme Sports founder and CEO will be making a second attempt for the top FKF seat. In 2011, Hussein was the main challenger for Nyamweya, but he lost during the exercise.
For over 10 years, Mohammed has been involved in grassroots football, mainly running the Super 8 Tournament in Nairobi and at one time he secured a multi-million-sponsorship deal with betting firm SportPesa for the league. Mohammed, currently also serves as the Director of Premier League outfit Murang’a Seal.
Tom Alila
Running for the seat under the banner ‘Mpira Mashinani’, Alila, a businessman by profession, is seeking the top seat for the second time. He once served as the FKF NEC member for Nyanza during the Nyamweya regime and later vied for the presidency in 2020 but pulled out and tried his luck for the Nairobi NEC position which he lost to Michael Ouma.
Alila is credited to have secured the deal to lay an artificial turf at Moi Stadium in Kisumu. His emphasis will be streamlining grassroots football by incorporating counties to support the leagues and establish a proper and sustainable youth structure.
Lordvick Aduda
Just like Alila, the fluent-speaking Aduda will be making a second stab at the FKF presidency. Aduda, who served as the CEO of FKF under Nyamweya, contested for the seat in 2020 but lost to Mwendwa after garnering five votes.
Apart from the CEO post in FKF, Aduda served in the same capacity for league side K’Ogalo, where he helped the side to reach the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup in 2018. Aduda believes he has the knowledge to trigger a complete transformation in the development and management of football in the country.
Sammy ‘Kempes’ Owino
The former Harambee Stars defender will be going for the top seat for the first time. Owino, who is currently based in the USA where he runs a 32-acre academy in Texas plans to start investing back home, with a view of bringing up the next generation of stars.
The US Soccer Federation Level A coaching license holder built his AYSES Academy in Texas, United States, from scratch and now has over 700 players and seven fields.
Taufiq Balala
Another aspirant, who will be going for the top seat for the first time. Balala, a businessman based in Mombasa, has already outlined plans to use regions in the country to build a strong FKF Premier League with at least a mass following of six to seven teams in the top-flight.
Apart from his love for football where he follows Bandari FC, and sponsors Mvita Young Stars, Balala also served as Mombasa County Transport and Infrastructure County Executive under Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho.
Sam Nyamweya
Nyamweya is a veteran administrator who served as a powerful Kenya Football Federation (KFF) Secretary General under the chairmanship of Peter Kenneth in 2004 before he took over as the president and served for one term between 2011 to 2015.
Under his regime, Kenya’s Harambee Stars managed to attain position 89 in the world FIFA rankings, the best-ever ranking for the East African nation, and won the regional CECAFA tournament after beating Sudan 2-0 in the final.
