A High Court in Kitui has lifted the injunction that halted the FKF branch elections scheduled for Saturday, November 9, 2024.
In his ruling, Kitui High Court Judge, Justice Robert Limo, cited the existence of a similar case filed at the Milimani Law Courts filed in October as the key reason why the injunction was lifted.
According to the judge, the petitioner, identified as Gordon Ogado, failed to disclose that he filed a similar case in October 2024 and failed to withdraw the same.
“There are procedures to withdraw a case in court and the petitioner has not shown that he followed the same,” Justice Limo said on Tuesday.
Effectively, the ruling cleared the way for the FKF Electoral Board to proceed with the county elections in 39 counties ending a wave of uncertainty.
Candidates hoping to land elective seats were also handed some reprieve as some of them were growing increasingly concerned over fate of the elections after investing millions in campaigns.
Moments after the court ruling the FKF Electoral Board moved to issue a new date for county elections through a statement by chairman Hesbon Owilla and board secretary Marcelinne Sande.
“Following the hearing today, we are pleased to inform you that the stay orders have been lifted. The Football Kenya Federation elections will now take place on November 14, 2024," the statement read.
The board further instructed election officials to be at their assigned stations by Wednesday, November 13 2024 to ensure everything is in order ahead of election day.
What happened: On Friday, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) found itself at risk of trouble with FIFA, after the court barred county elections. The court's decision came after the Kenya Football Association filed a suit claiming legitimacy to conduct the polls.
The world football governing body abhors taking football matters to ordinary courts of law, making the interference of the high court an infringement of FIFA laws.
The county elections are to be succeeded by the national elections to elect a new Football Kenya Federation chair on December 7. With the delay in the county elections, it is likely the national election date will also be affected.
