Murunga eager to leave legacy at sports disputes tribunal

Benard Murunga after being sworn in as Sports Disputes Tribunal chairperson at the Supreme Court building on Monday, June 30, 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Nairobi advocate Benard Murunga is determined to leave a lasting legacy at the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT).

This is after he was sworn in as the new SDT chairperson, taking over from the immediate former chairperson, John Ohaga, whose term elapsed.

In a ceremony at the Supreme Court building presided over by the Deputy Chief Registrar of Judiciary Paul Ndemo, on Monday, Murunga promised to continue the legacy of the 11-year tribunal by ensuring access to justice was available to sports persons and organisations, who have any disputes.

Having served on the tribunal for two years before his elevation to chairperson, a lot of expectations are on Murunga to steer dispute resolution in the sports industry.

"As judicial officers, we are committed to the prompt resolution of sports disputes and will do so impartially, independently, and in keeping with the principles of fair play that sport espouses," Murunga told Standard Sports.

Murunga is not new to sports, having been one of Kenya's youngest certified football referees at the age of 18 and later serving as a deputy Secretary General at AFC Leopards.

He has also previously chaired both the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Arbitration Tribunal and the Disciplinary Committee. In addition, he served as a member of the FKF Premier League Independent Disciplinary and Appeals Committee.

The Sports Disputes Tribunal handles matters from different sports and has in the recent past made decisions on the governance of Kenya Rugby Union (KRU), the disqualification of AFC Leopards from the FKF Cup and the non-selection of Esther Asega in Para Volley. This is in addition to the mandate of the tribunal to hear anti-doping violations.