The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) elections aborted on Friday after the High Court in Nairobi stopped the process.
Kenya Tae Kwondo Association (KTA) went to court on Thursday stopping Nock and Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD) from holding the elections at Panari Hotel.
The order issued by deputy registrar halted the elections until the case is heard on Monday.
KTA, one of the federations that were barred by the government, CMD and Sports Tribunal from the elections, said their rights to vote had been infringed.
The other body that was barred alongside KTA from participating in the polls over fractional wrangles is Kenya Cycling Federation.
The order was served by KTA secretary general George Wasonga just before the Nock General Assembly.
Nock deputy secretary-general James Chacha said the elections couldn’t take place after they received the court order besides other orders from the Sports Tribunal.
Besides CMD, the Sports Tribunal stopped Tae Kwondo and Cycling from participating in the polls.
Chacha accused the government and CMD of scuttling the process by barring the two federations even after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered all the federations that took part in Nock constitution review process to be allowed to vote.
“CMD was supposed to be a neutral party in this process but it has been used wrongly by the government and registrar of sports,” claimed Chacha. “There is now confusion everywhere with the Sports Tribunal also issuing rulings people are not aware.”
However, Harun Komen, a director of administration at the Sports ministry, said that the government was a major stakeholder in sports.
“There is nothing like Government interference. But we can’t burry our heads in the sand when things are not alright,” said Komen. “The court has moved to stop the process hence we can only wait now for the outcome on Monday.”
Komen said the ministry issued the directive to CMD stopping the two federations following Sports Registrar’s clarification on the federations that were legally registered and aligned with the 2013 Sports Act. “We can’t allow an illegality to take place just because IOC have spoken. We also have our laws that should be followed,” said Komen.
Kenya Rugby Union (KGU) chairman Richard Omwela accused some officials at Nock and the government of trying to scuttle change.
“There are now too many forces involved and not only Tae Kwondo. Some people at Nock simply don’t want change and that is why they are fighting to remain in office,” said Omwela.
“The government should have allowed all the federations that participated in constitution review to take part.”
Omwela said CMD and Sports Tribunal should have left the General Assembly to decide Tae Kwondo and Cycling in the floor.
Daily Nation