The Kenyan football elections long wait is over, today Kenyans will be having a new President in the office, a leader Kenyans are eagerly waiting for to solve the mess in Kenyan soccer.

Just hours before the kick off of the exercise, Re Union chairman and also presidential candidate Evans Gor Semelango pulled out and said he can not be part of the elections which according to him was illegal having formed a splinter Federation where he is the chairman. 

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“Transition of FKF from the Societies Act to the Sports Act was not done. The fact
that many people want to do a wrong thing does not make it right. It is an exercise in
futility to participate in an electoral process of an institution which is unregistered. It will
help perpetuate impunity, corruption and mediocrity that has all along dogged our
football,” he said.
He referred to Article 50 sub section 3 A of the Sports Act. “The only federation that
can be recognised or can exist is one that has applied and no letter of rejection issued
to it,” he said, apparently in reference to his outfit, which purports to be running the
sport”

The elections that are currently taking place at the Safaricom Kasarani stadium is expected to be one of the toughest elections  compared to that of Maina Kariuki against Alfred Sambu in 2001.

Soka25east sampled some short stories on the previous Federation presidents and their achievements. 

Kenya Football Federation was formed  in 1960 and got affiliated to FIFA the same year 

Isaac Luganzo

He is regarded as the founder of the Federation, he assumed office in 1962 and he was a renowned FIFA referee. He officiated in the play offs of the 1962 African Nations Cup. 

John Kasyoka 

Took oover from Isaac Luganzo, he was an athlete who was specialized in short distances especially the 800 meters. 

Martin Shikuku 

Elected chairman in 1970,his tenure saw Gor Mahia get into problems as it was believed he favored the rival AFC leopards where it was reported he banned five players of Gor Mahia from football activities. The Federation was dissolved and a caretaker committee formed headed by  Bill  Martin before William Humphrey Nga  was elected in 1973 to head the Federation. 

Dan Owino

 

A  man with hostility towards Gor Mahia having formed the rival Gor group. He was elected in 1978 but he did not last before his ouster and current Kisii Senator Chris Obure  took over also on interim basis after the then Sports Minister Robert Matano dissolved the Federation.

Kenneth Matiba

He was the chairman of  Kenyan Football from 1974-1978 and his four year tenure saw a decline in Football. He later left and went on to win the parliamentary elections becoming the member of Parliament for Mbiri later renamed Kiharu. He also served as the minister for Sports and Culture. 

Clement Gachanja

Little is known about him but he took over from Matiba.

 

Joab Omino

The most successful football chief by all standards, he endured Government interference but held on to serve at the top of Kenyan soccer twice. He was the member of Parliament for Kisumu town and a former footballer and administrator. He won with a resounding victory  in with Sammy Okinyo as the Secretary General.
He  had stints between 1984-1989 and again 1993-1996 where all under him Kenya qualified for a record three African Cup of Nations, finished runners up in the 1987 All African games and it’s that period that Gor Mahia became the only CECAFA team to win a Continental trophy and Leopards reached a Continental final. Perhaps because of his affiliation to opposition the government fought him hard and after securing rights to host the Nations Cup in 1994,the government failed to build a stadium in Mombasa as was requested by CAF with the government sensing that the opposition would get a lot of mileage. Kenya was banned for two Nations cup and South Africa hosted instead.

Mathews Adams Karauri

After Omino led KDF was disbanded by the government., he was appointed  as caretaker chairman. He is reported to have hired his ally Austrian Gerry Saurer as coach of the National team a fete that cost him with Kenya displaying a lacklustre performance in the 1992 Nations Cup in Senegal. 

Peter Kenneth

 

A banker  cut lawyer, another r successful Federation chairman by standards.

He was a former goalkeeper of league side Re Union. he was the chair between 1996-2000 and was appointed a FIFA committee Member (FUTSAL)  from 1998-2000. He was also a long serving member of Parliament for Gatanga and presidential candidate in 2013 Kenyan elections 

Maina Kariuki

After  Kenya dissolved the Federation in 2001,elections were called and Maina Kariuki was elected in 2001 in what is regarded as the most hotly contested elections in Kenya just like the 2011elections.Kariuki had a background  in marketing and had won the elections in what he referred to as ‘new beginning’ in the elections Mohammed Hati my was elected treasurer. Kariuki’s tenure was the worst  and he is reported to have sacked the then popular coach Reinhardt Fabisch after the coach criticized the Federation. Subsequently KFF was dissolved and FIFA banned Kenya from all football activities. However later in June the ban was lifted and after both FIFA and Kenyan government agreed and when elections were called Alfred Sambu was back at the helm

Alfred Sambu

Born in 1944,the long serving AFC Leopards chairman an engineer by profession and a former chairman of the Kenya Power and lighting company. At one time it was reported that he was unable to run the Federation due to bad health  and the delegates threw him out suspending him, Hati my was appointed by the committee to take over. Sambu did not relent and continued with the FIFA recognized faction.

Mohammed Hati my forms FKL

Hatimy went on to form FKF which had the blessing of FIFA and went on to run football activities. Later on Sam Nyamweya registered KFF and ran a parallel Federation despite FIFA rejecting his proposal for approval. Nyamweya continued to run the splinter parallel group running leagues until a unified elections was called in 2001 where Sam Nyamweya won the elections beating his closest challenger Mohammed Hussein

 

Sam mNyamweya 

Sam Nyamweya’ s tenure at the top of football in Kenya has been publicly criticized in the way he manages football, from suspension of elected officials to misappropriation of funds  the latest being the Harambee stars saga where Kenya almost failed to honour a return match to Cape Verde in a world cup qualifying match. His tenure has had to rub shoulders with the professionally run KPL over the composition of the league etc. 

The former Secretary General of CECAFA is facing a stiff competition from Nick Mwendwa and Ambrose Rachier to realign his seat today