Former Harambee Stars Coaches Mulee, Otieno Call for Truce in Mwendwa-Amina Stalemate

Former Harambee Stars coaches Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee and Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno have called on the government and Football Kenya Federation to agree on the management of the country’s football to evade an imminent Fifa ban.

On Thursday last week, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed disbanded FKF and formed a caretaker committee to take over the functions of the federation for a period not exceeding six months.

Mohamed said the decision was taken after receiving a report on an audit of the federation undertaken by Sports Registrar Rose Wasike.

The report accused FKF of misappropriation of funds and failure to align the federation with the Sports Act 2013.

FKF boss Nick Mwendwa was then arrested on Friday and spent the weekend in police cells before he was arraigned in court on Monday where he was released on a Sh4 million bond on Monday.

The court has since ruled that Mwendwa’s arrest was “irregular and in bad faith.”

The court on Wednesday ruled that the Director of Public Prosecutions must bring a charge to court within seven days or close Mwendwa’s case.

In between, Fifa have sent two letters calling for dialogue between the world governing body and the Ministry to avert a situation where the country will be banned. Mohamed and Fifa general Secretary met on Tuesday virtually, with the government describing the meeting a success.

Details are still scanty on what they agreed on, but Nation Sport understands that the two will meet again next week.

Mohamed late Wednesday said the decision to disband FKF will continue to stay even after the meeting.

Retired Justice Aaron Ringera’s caretaker committee has also suspended the top and second tier leagues for two weeks.

It is this ongoing saga in the football arena that has made Mulee and Otieno to call for a truce between the two parties to salvage the situation.

Mulee, the Kenya Police FC technical director, said that a Fifa ban would hurt the players, coaches, referees and all those who depend on football to fend for their families.

He also questioned the qualifications of some members of the caretaker committee.

“I am perturbed because when government interferes a ban is what follows and the truth it is while football has many stakeholders it is the players that will suffer the most. No player will be able to leave the country and those who are abroad won’t be able to move clubs,” Mulee said.

“It is the players, coaches and referees who will suffer if this ban is enforced. Our referees will not be allowed to officiate in Qatar in the World Cup. There is so much to lose but lets follow the rule of law where the government, Fifa and FKF must each be respected,” added the former Tusker tactician.

KCB coach Otieno took issue with those in support of a Fifa ban and called on both parties to use Solomonic wisdom to end the current stalemate.

“Those celebrating that Kenya should be banned are not directly involved in football. The players, coaches and referees are not supporting the idea,”said Otieno.

Elsewhere, FKF Nairobi West County Branch chairman Caleb Malweyi has faulted the appointment of the caretaker committee by the Sports CS, while poking holes into the committee’s selection process.

“The CS (Amina Mohamed) may mean well for Kenyan football, but the process she is undertaking is questionable. Right from the appointment of the caretaker committee, how shall they be fair in execution of their mandate when they are the same people who were all over court corridors fighting to remove Mwendwa from office in the last election,” said Malweyi.