CS Ababu Namwamba reads riot act to sports federations

Sports CS Ababu Namwamba and FKF president Nick Mwendwa (circled). Photo | Ministry of Sports

FOOTBALL CS Ababu Namwamba reads riot act to sports federations

Mark Kinyanjui 07:00 - 01.02.2024

Namwamba has threatened to ensure international bans are heaped upon sporting federations that will not follow the law in conducting their affairs.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has promised that federations which do not follow the law in running their respective dockets will banned by the international governing bodies if it means their acts will be “cleaned up”.

Namwamba held a meeting with various national federations as he sought to address critical issues surrounding the governing of sports in the country.

In recent years, some of the federations have been banned, including the Football Kenya Federation and the Kenya Swimming Federation, although their situations have all been resolved during Namwamba’s second spell at the helm of the ministry.

The CS has sworn his ministry will see to it that no stone goes unturned in the quest to get federations to follow the law while running their respective sports.

“You also like threatening the government that, ‘you touch us and some international federation will come for you’: That will not happen with us.

“If it takes your discipline being suspended so that you can follow the law, we will allow you to be suspended, take it from me.

“If it takes you to be banned for one to three years so that we can clean you up, we will, because, at the end of the day, we will not compromise national interests because you are threatening us with a ban from some international federations, so just follow the law.”

Namwamba insists that he will not hesitate to get the international federations to ban the respective sports that do not follow the right procedures.

“Accede to the Sports Act, follow the act, and respect the constitution of Kenya. By the way, those international federations like FIFA and World Aquatics, all these federations, I talk to them. 

“Don’t think you are the only ones who talk to them. I talk to them, actually, I talk to them more than you.

“I have made it clear to many of them that sports in Kenya is big, sports in Kenya is important and we have told them (to) help us to (make sure) sports in Kenya (is) ran properly.

“We will never touch a federation that following the law, is engaging in good governance and is following what needs to be followed.”

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