Nairobi Senator clarifies Senate stand on FKF Audit

FILE: Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja on October 27,2021.[Kipsang Joseph,Standard]

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja on Wednesday clarified the Senate’s stand on Football Kenya Federation Audit authorized by the Ministry Of Sports.

The senator claimed they were misinterpreted on Tuesday when they discussed the matter on the Senate floor and they are not backing anyone rather they are urging the law to be followed.

Sports CS Amina Mohammed came under a hail of fire simultaneously launched on the floor of the Senate and unrefined vitriol from an array of Twitter hashtags on the day she was expected to receive the auditors’ report.

The FKF is under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) for alleged financial impropriety since they lost a case in which they had sought to stop the sleuths from probing it.

Through a post on his social media handle, Sakaja said they are not against the audit process and clarified their stand saying; “FKF and all federations receiving money must be audited, there is no escaping that.”

“If any individual is found culpable of any theft or wrongdoing, the law must follow including prosecution or a normalization committee. No one is scared.

“However, before the evidence is put forward, I will not support a lynch mob or pre-empt the results of the audit.”

He further said the law must be followed.

 “We will listen to all parties objectively and in the ultimate interest of the people,” he concluded.

On Tuesday, Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr sought a statement from the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare over what he described as “an impromptu inspection on Football Federation of Kenya.”

In his submission, Sen. Mutula Jr said the Committee’s should: “State reasons why Football Kenya a statutory body under the law was not issued with a notice of inspection citing nature of the inspection, the documents required, material or evidence relied upon by the CS in making the decision.”

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei asked CS Amina and senior Sports Ministry officials to resign for presiding over what he called as “mega corruption.”

“Madam Speaker would believe that in the Sports Fund, one of the items they have allocated is Sh31 million for woodball. Woodball means ‘mchezo wa mbao’  yet there are several stadiums that have gobbled millions of money yet they do not even meet Fifa standards. And now the same stadiums have been banned. They cannot even host friendly matches,” Sen. Cherargei said.

FILE: President FKF Nick Mwendwa July 31. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, who chairs the Senate standing committee on Labour and Social Welfare said the CS should not take the decision to disband FKF for it would lead to a ban by Fifa.

“No one person should take an action that will lead to Kenya being banned by Fifa. The CS for Sports should appear before the Senate on Thursday and we are immediately signing off a letter barring her from taking action against FKF,” Sakaja said.