The High Court of Kenya has issued a ruling ordering the officials of Athletics Kenya and the President out of office on Thursday, March 7.
Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei, alongside the officials within his Executive, was instructed to leave office after having extended their tenure at the helm of the organisation.
The judge noted that the president has been in power for eight years since the authority came into force, in 2015.
“An order be and is hereby issued that by referring to Sections 46 and 49 of the Sports Act and the Second Schedule thereof, the officials and Executive Committee of the 1st respondent who has been in office for a cumulative period of 8 years since the coming into force of the Sports Act have served their terms in full and must forthwith vacate office," read part of the ruling.
Further, the Athletics Kenya Commission noted that the officials shall be ineligible to contest for any position in the organisation going forward.
The ruling was made in light of a petition that was presented in court by athlete Moses Tanui alongside 9 other individuals who sought to have the officials declared illegally in office.
Additionally, the organisation’s officials were sued alongside the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts, Registrar of Sports, Registrar of Societies and the Attorney General.
Based on the petition, the athletes were seeking to have the officials be declared in office illegally, have all athletes as members of Athletics Kenya and declare the constitution of the organisation null and void.
The High Court judge ruled in their favour explaining that athletes should be included in the top decision-making organ of the organisation and also that the organisation review the constitution.
“An order be and is hereby issued directing the 1st respondent to carry out further review of its Constitution adopted and/or ratified on 27th April 2016 within the next 90 days of making of this order to consider public views gathered during its last review for purposes of enhancing inclusivity, democratic representation of various players in the athletics discipline into the 1st Respondent’s top decision-making organ and to guarantee enhanced transparency in areas of concern raised by the public/stakeholders,” stated the ruling.
Moreover, the judge ruled that each of the parties within the petition would foot their individual costs.
Jackson Tuwei, the President was also elected the World Athletics Vice President during the federation’s Congress in Budapest, Hungary, in 2023.
