Nairobi — In a twist of events and a new card into the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) presidential elections, Doris Petra, the outgoing vice president will vie for the top seat, with incumbent Nick Mwendwa taking up a role as her running mate.
The Sports Act (2013) prohibits elected officials of Federations to take charge of more than two terms and with Mwendwa having already served twice from 2016, he is barred from seeking another term as president.
And now, in a bid to go round the Act, the two have switched roles, but still remain the same camp as 'Team Blue'.
"I said I will vie, but I did not say which position," Mwendwa said on Monday night, after he and Petra presented their papers to the Electoral Board.
He added; "People need to understand that it is not always about being number one. I have no problem serving as the vice president. We are just the same team, and we have worked together for the last eight years."
Petra with a chance to make history
Petra, who stands the chance of becoming the first ever woman to run the Federation, says she is delighted to have the chance to serve the Federation as president, having served as Mwendwa's vice since they were both elected in 2016.
In an interesting twist however, Chris Amimo, who served as a National Executive Committee (NEC) member between 2016 and 2021, and a close ally to Mwendwa, has also presented papers to run for the presidency alongside Anthony Makau as his running mate.
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Amimo and Makau were however not cleared by the time the board was closing the process at around 7pm on Monday, as they did not submit one document, which they have until Wednesday to do so.
Sources have alleged to Capital Sports that in the event the Petra-Mwendwa ticket falls short of approval from the Electoral Board, the Amimo-Makau ticket will be backed.
Mwendwa confident they will be on the ballot
However, Mwendwa remains confident they will be on the ballot and they will win. "They (competitors) are just making noise on social media, and they do not have votes. We have votes. As we speak, we have several seats we have already won unopposed. We have no doubt, that we will win this election," Mwendwa says.
At the same time, immediate former FKF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Barry Otieno has also presented his papers to run for presidency, with Nyandarua's Lucy Kageni as his running mate.
There was an apparent fallout between Otieno and his immediate former boss Mwendwa, necessitating the resignation, and now the former CEO wants to go for the top seat.
Otieno presented his papers to the board but refused to make any comments to the waiting media. "We have presented our papers, and we are confident in the process. We will make an official statement on the process soon and unveil our plan," Otieno said in a quick rejoinder.
A total of nine candidates have presented their credentials, and it is now up to the board to scrutinize them and present the final list in the next three days.
