FKF expels VP Mariga and six NEC members at disrupted Meru meeting

The Football Kenya Federation removed seven National Executive Committee members at a Special General Meeting in Meru that police disrupted with teargas, according to the sources.

What happened

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) General Assembly resolved to expel seven members of its National Executive Committee (NEC), including Vice-President McDonald Mariga Wanyama, after a Special General Meeting (SGM) in Meru on Saturday [1][2]. Sixty-five delegates voted in favour of the proposal, and AFC Leopards chair Boniface Ambani was the only one to oppose it [2]. According to [1], the decision followed deliberations on allegations of violations of the FKF Constitution. The sources do not say what those violations were.

The meeting was disrupted. According to [3], officers from the Police Rapid Deployment Unit moved into the meeting venue at Three Steers Hotel and discharged teargas into the meeting room, where delegates were waiting for proceedings to begin. [1] reports, citing [3], that hundreds of youths had gathered at the hotel before the police operation and that the meeting, scheduled for 9:00 am, had not started amid a tense standoff.

The sources differ on where teargas was used. [1] says it was used at the main entrance, citing [3]. The text of [3], however, quotes the federation saying it was discharged into the meeting room. [1] also says police teargassed delegates. The sources do not include a police account of the operation.

Why Kenyans are searching for it

The sources do not explain why "meru" is being searched for in Kenya. They cover an FKF meeting held in Meru, which may be part of what people are looking for, but none of the extracts links search interest to this story, so the reason cannot be confirmed from them.

Key facts

• Expelled from the NEC: Mariga, Dan Shikanda (Nairobi), Collins Kalee (Nyanza), Bernard Lagat (Rift Valley), Violet Kerubo (women's representative), Robert Macharia (Central) and Gabriel Mghendi (Coast) [2].
• Vote: 65 delegates in favour, one against (Boniface Ambani) [2].
• FKF president Hussein Mohammed said the seven had been invited to defend themselves but declined to do so or send a legal representative [2].
• The meeting was scheduled for 9:00 am and had not started when police moved in [1][3].
• In an update dated November 7, the FKF said the police operation interfered with a constitutional process convened by General Assembly members [1][3].

What to watch

The sources do not report any response from the seven expelled members, any legal challenge, or any police statement explaining the operation. The disagreement over where teargas was used is also unresolved in these extracts. Later reporting from the FKF and the police would be needed to settle these points.

Sources

1. [1] FKF expels Vice-President McDonald Mariga and six other NEC members at Meru meeting - Nairobi Tea
2. [2] Mariga ousted as FKF vice-president following stormy meeting in Meru - Nairobi Tea
3. [3] Police teargas disrupts FKF Special General Meeting in Meru - Nairobi Tea

Compiled by the NairobiCity trend desk from the sources above.