FIFA has stepped into the deepening leadership war at the Football Kenya Federation, asking the federation to call off a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that a faction led by vice president McDonald Mariga had scheduled for Wednesday, 4 November, at the Tamarind Hotel in Nairobi.

In a letter addressed to FKF president Hussein Mohammed and copied to other officials, FIFA's senior manager for governance services, Bruno Comicholi, said the planned meeting did not appear to comply with Article 38 of the FKF constitution, which sets out how NEC meetings are convened and held.

Why FIFA says the meeting is invalid

According to the letter, the notice issued on 27 October for the 4 November meeting relied on a request originally submitted by NEC members on 26 May 2026. FIFA noted that the federation had since held an NEC meeting on 11 July and issued notices for further meetings, meaning the May request had already been overtaken by events.

"It would appear that the request of 26 May 2026 can no longer be relied upon as a valid procedural basis for convening the meeting of 4 November 2026," Comicholi wrote.

FIFA added that two of the original signatories had formally withdrawn their support for the request, so the conditions under which NEC members can call a meeting on their own under Article 38.2 "do not appear to be fulfilled".

"In light of the foregoing and in order to ensure compliance with the FKF Constitution and safeguard the proper functioning of the Federation's statutory bodies, we request that FKF refrain from holding the NEC meeting scheduled for 4 November 2026," the letter said.

The letter did not announce any disciplinary measures against the federation or individual officials. It instead urged FKF to ensure all future NEC meetings strictly follow the constitution.

A federation split down the middle

The intervention is a setback for the group of NEC members who have been pushing against Mohammed's leadership since earlier this year. Several previous attempts to convene the NEC have collapsed for lack of quorum, with Mohammed accusing absent members of paralysing the federation.

The Mariga-aligned faction had also been linked to a show-cause notice dated 27 October that lists six charges against the president and proposes a Special General Meeting on Friday, 7 November, at a hotel in Meru. That meeting is now the next flashpoint, with both camps expected to argue over whether it has been properly called.

The split has played out in public for weeks. Mohammed has warned rebel NEC members of action, while his critics accuse him of sidelining the executive committee. At the weekend FIFA separately warned the federation over the growing number of Kenyan football disputes ending up in ordinary courts rather than sports tribunals.

What is at stake

  • Kenya co-hosts the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Uganda and Tanzania, and FIFA and CAF want a stable federation in charge of preparations.
  • Harambee Stars face South Africa in back-to-back AFCON qualifiers on 13 and 17 November.
  • FIFA statutes bar government or third-party interference in member associations, and the world body has suspended federations in the past when internal disputes spilled out of control.

FKF had not publicly responded to the FIFA letter by Tuesday evening, and it was not immediately clear whether the Wednesday meeting would go ahead.

Photos: The Star (handout); Citizen Digital/Kelly Ayodi, Sportpicha. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.