Court stops council in scouts leadership row

A court has blocked the Kenya Scouts Council from managing the association in a vicious leadership wrangle now rocking the century-old organisation.

In place of the council, the court has ordered an eight-member caretaker committee run the affairs of Kenya Scouts Association (KSA) until the case is settled.

The caretaker committee members are Francis Kooli, Francis Juma, Zabron Anguko, Ray Charles Musau, Rosanna Rapando, Bilha Wanjiru, Benson Ongelech and Hamisi Athman.

Chief Magistrate Bildad Ochieng ordered Jamhuri Police officers to enforce his orders, which means physically evicting all the embattled council members from office.

“Pending the hearing and determination of this suit, an order of injunction is hereby issued restraining and or stopping the defendant (Kenya Scouts Council) from running and operating the affairs of the Kenya Scouts Association,” ruled Ochieng.

No elections

Juma filed the case last month.  He claimed that scouts have not held elections for new council members since 2017. According to him, the association’s constitution dictates that the term of each council should be three years and renewable once.

“The defendant without any colour of right and conducting themselves in an unlawfully, illegally and in the contravention of the rights of the members and the association have continued to be in the office without holding elections as required by the constitution,” claimed Juma.

In his court papers, Juma alleged that the future of the association is uncertain, as one cannot guarantee of who is at the helm. Juma sought to have a caretaker committee run the affairs of scouts’ body in the country until they have conducted the elections.

He continued: “Kenya Scouts Association has not had elections since the year 2017 and the officials in the office are therefore illegal.  In light of the aforesaid, the current office bearers have been occupying office illegally and hence any affair during this period has been done in an illegal manner.”

The petitioner is of the view that the association ought to have conducted its election in 2020. He stated that on March 11 this year, KSA members resolved to have an interim team to run it until it conducts the election.

The interim team is composed of former scout officials. The patron of scouts in the country is President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi is the chief scout.

Threat to Kenyan scouts

Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka was the scouts Chief Commissioner in 2010 while former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko was its patron for Nairobi two years ago. According to the association, scouting started as an experimental camp that had 20 boys. This was around 1907 at Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset, England.

The intention of the camp was to train boys, but later it would turn into the world’s largest voluntary youth movement. Powell died on January 8, 1941 but his dream continues to spread across the globe for over a century.

In Kenya, however, the movement whose moto is ‘ be prepared’ is currently rocked in a circus that may wane its influence and trust.

In court, Juma stated that KSA members will suffer if the court does not intervene.

“The actions and or position held by the current officials to run the affairs of the Kenya Scouts Association without involving the members is procedural, unlawful and illegal,” he argued.