Troubled Football Kenya Federation, FKF, President Nick Mwendwa is set to face fresh charges days after announcing his return to office.
Lady Justice Esther Maina declined to bar the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, from charging Mwendwa afresh, as sought by the latter through a court order.
He will be arraigned at Kiambu Law Courts on Monday.
The green light by the High Court comes a day after the embattled Mwendwa led other officials of the disbanded football federation back to the office after their forced exit in November 2021.
Mwendwa marched to the Kandanda house at Kasarani accompanied by FKF Secretary General Barry Otieno and armed police led by Kasarani Deputy OCPD Purity Muthoni.
Read: Embattled FKF President Nick Mwendwa Announces His Return
However, the return was flagged by sports CS Amina Mohammed, who termed it as a ‘break-in’ and a violation of the law.
In a press statement, Amina stated that her decision to disband the federation stands since no court order had been issued to vacate the one issued by H.I. Ong’udi upholding the disbandment.
“It is instructive to note that this decision rendered on May 10, 2022, has not been vacated/reversed and the FKF Transition Committee remains in office and in charge of football management in Kenya,” said Amina in a statement.
On September 9, Mwendwa wrote to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, stating that he was ready to resume work after stepping down following his arrest and subsequent arraignment over alleged graft.
CS Amina sent Mwendwa and his team home, accusing them of conspiring to defraud the federation Ksh. 38 million.
Read: KQ Reports Death of Third Passenger In 4 Weeks
She established a caretaker committee charged with the responsibility of running football affairs in the absence of FKF, led by former judge Aaron Ringera.
In retaliation, FIFA suspended Kenya from all football activities until the FKF officials were reinstated, citing interference from the government, which is against the global body’s policies.
This mess in Kenyan football is expected to grow uglier following Kenya Premier League teams’ threat to boycott the upcoming league season scheduled for October if the FIFA ban is not lifted.
In a meeting held this morning by the management of the clubs, they resolved not to participate stating that the suspension has immensely impacted them.
“Our teams and by extension our players and technical bench officials have greatly suffered since FIFA suspended the country in February this year. Our teams have lost several key sponsors and missed the value of playing in FIFA recognized leagues and competitions,” said a statement by the clubs.
Email your news TIPS to editor@thesharpdaily.com
