MARIGA CHALLENGES FKF OUSTER, VOWS TO FIGHT ON

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Vice-President McDonald Mariga has rejected his dismissal alongside six other National Executive Committee (NEC) members, insisting that they remain in office despite Saturday's controversial Special General Meeting (SGM) in Meru.

In a statement issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, Mariga termed the resolutions adopted during the meeting unconstitutional, accusing sections of the FKF leadership of deliberately excluding elected officials and accredited delegates to prevent them from participating in the proceedings.

“What transpired in Meru was a deliberate attempt to silence elected leaders who have consistently championed accountability, transparency and good governance within FKF,” Mariga said.

The former Harambee Stars midfielder argued that the process violated Article 41(4) and (5) of the FKF Constitution, which provides for the right of officials facing dismissal to defend themselves and requires such motions to be determined through a secret ballot.

Mariga claimed that he and the six affected NEC members, alongside 32 accredited Congress delegates, were blocked from accessing the meeting venue at Three Steers Hotel, raising questions about the legitimacy of the proceedings, attendance register and whether the required quorum was attained.

He also challenged the voting procedure, arguing that the General Assembly relied on acclamation and placards instead of a secret ballot as stipulated in the federation's constitution.

Article 41(5) provides: “The motion for dismissal shall be decided by means of secret ballot. For the motion to be passed, a majority of two-thirds of the valid votes is required.”

“A resolution reached through acclamation cannot substitute for the secret ballot expressly required by the Constitution,” Mariga said.

The FKF General Assembly, however, maintained that it had exercised its constitutional mandate as the federation's supreme decision-making organ, with 65 of the 66 delegates who attended the Meru meeting voting in favour of removing the seven officials.

The federation relied on Articles 16 and 24 of its constitution, arguing that the General Assembly has the authority to dismiss members of its governing bodies.

FKF President Hussein Mohammed also maintained that the affected officials had been invited to submit their defence but failed to do so before the meeting reached its decision.

The seven officials were removed over allegations of serious and repeated violations of the FKF Constitution and FIFA regulations, including an alleged attempt to force the federation's president, acting General Secretary Dennis Gicheru and nominated NEC member Abdullahi Yusuf out of office.

The dispute dates back to April 24, 2026, when the seven officials allegedly backed an unauthorised resolution seeking the removal of the three leaders over financial-related concerns.

They were further accused of repeatedly missing duly convened NEC meetings, frustrating the federation's operations, issuing unauthorised communications in FKF's name and taking football-related disputes to ordinary civil courts instead of exhausting the federation's internal dispute-resolution mechanisms.

The other officials affected by Saturday's decision are Central NEC representative Robert Kenneth Macharia, Upper Rift Valley representative Bernard Korir Lagat, Women's representative Violet Kerubo Momanyi, Nyanza representative Collins Opiyo Kalee, Coast representative Gabriel Mghendi and Nairobi representative Daniel Akala Shikanda.

Mariga also invoked FIFA's intervention in May 2026 during the federation's leadership disputes, arguing that the global football governing body had emphasised the importance of constitutional procedures and the right of officials to be heard before disciplinary decisions are made.

“FIFA made it clear that this right is fundamental to the legitimacy of decisions taken by FKF’s governing organs. The Meru proceedings disregarded that very guidance,” he said.

He further questioned the credibility of the meeting's attendance records, alleging that individuals without proper authorisation to represent legitimate FKF members were allowed to participate as delegates.

“The legitimacy of the proceedings is further undermined by the exclusion of 32 legitimate Congress delegates and credible evidence of impersonation and unauthorised representation. Individuals who were not duly mandated representatives of legitimate FKF members participated as delegates. These irregularities raise serious questions about the authenticity of the attendance register, the legitimacy of the quorum and whether any constitutionally prescribed voting threshold was attained,” he added.

The Meru meeting was also disrupted by security incidents, with police officers reportedly firing tear gas as tensions escalated around the proceedings.

Following the disputed vote, Mariga and the affected officials called on FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Sports Registrar to urgently investigate the assembly, particularly the accreditation of delegates, attendance records, quorum and voting procedure.

They also indicated that they would pursue all available constitutional remedies to challenge the resolutions, maintaining that their elected mandates could not be terminated through a process they consider unlawful.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of earlier tensions within FKF, with reports of disagreements between Mariga and Hussein Mohammed emerging as far back as 2025. In July that year, Hussein publicly dismissed claims that Mariga had been secretly removed as his deputy, insisting that the federation was governed by its constitution.

The latest developments have now deepened the leadership crisis, with the legality of Saturday's resolutions becoming the centre of a fresh dispute involving the federation's elected officials and football governing institutions.

“We will not be intimidated, silenced or coerced into abandoning our responsibility to Kenyan football. The events in Meru will not extinguish our mandate or derail the struggle for accountability, constitutionalism and good governance in FKF,” Mariga said.

He maintained that the contest was not about protecting individual positions but defending the integrity of FKF and ensuring that its constitution is respected.

The standoff now leaves questions over the federation's leadership and the future administration of Kenyan football as the affected officials seek intervention from the relevant football authorities.