NOCK President Paul Tergat (centre) Secretary General Francis Mutuku (right) and First Vice President Shadrack Maluki (left) arrive at Pride Inn Hotel for the NOCK Annual General Meeting on April 24, 2025.
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) executive is scheduled to meet on Friday to set new dates for its elections, following the revocation of court orders that had halted the process.
On Monday, Milimani High Court Judge Justice Bahati Mwamuye vacated the orders he had previously issued stopping the elections that were due to take place on April 24.
The elections had been suspended to allow four federations—Kenya Taekwondo Federation (KTF), Kenya Triathlon Federation (KTF), Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF), and Kenya Handball Federation (KHF)—to participate in the process.
Justice Mwamuye criticized the petitioners for failing to disclose two earlier rulings from the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) that had permitted the elections to proceed, albeit under certain conditions.
“The Respondents/Applicants have drawn the Court’s attention to two Orders of the Sports Disputes Tribunal in SDTC No. E020 of the 2025 dated 23/04/2025 and SDTC No. E022 of the 2025 dated 22/04/2025 which were not disclosed by the Petitioners despite the Petitioner being the Claimant in the first matter and a participant in the second matter,” said Mwamuye.
“This Court’s Orders dated and issued on 24/04/2025 be and are hereby vacated in toto, and all conservatory orders and all directions therein be and are hereby set aside,” Mwamuye added. He directed that the matter be mentioned on April 30, 2025, for further directions.
A source within NOC-K confirmed the executive will reconvene this week to decide the next steps.
“NOC-K executive will sit this week to decide the way forward after the orders were revoked,” the source said. “It’s the orders that stopped the elections and with that out of the way, the process can continue.”
The elections had been postponed after the four federations failed to agree on who—between their presidents or secretary generals—would serve as their voting delegates.
The situation escalated when KTF chairman Suleiman Sumba, a candidate for an executive committee position, sought legal redress. He challenged a decision by NOC-K elections returning officer Muthee Gakuru and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that barred his federation from participating.
Sumba had previously approached the SDT to interpret the current NOC-K Constitution and the 2025 Elections Rules and Regulations.
However, on April 23, the SDT panel chaired by Bernard Murunga, alongside members Allan Mola and Gichuru Kiplagat, dismissed the case and allowed the elections to continue. Sumba then rushed to the High Court on a certificate of urgency.
Simultaneously, 14 federations, led by Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) president Andrew Mudibo, filed a case at the SDT seeking to disqualify four rival candidates for flouting election rules, particularly clause 17.3 of the NOC-K Constitution.
Mudibo, who is vying for the secretary general position, had earlier written to the IEBC requesting the disqualification of current NOC-K secretary general Francis Mutuku, outgoing treasurer Anthony Kariuki, outgoing deputy treasurer John Ogola, and Kenya Volleyball Federation beach volleyball commission chairman Moses Mbuthia.
The IEBC referred the matter to the SDT, where acting SDT chairperson Njeri Onyango issued an order on the eve of the elections, temporarily halting the process.
Onyango later allowed the elections to proceed but directed that the eligibility of the contested candidates be determined by the Elective Congress.
According to the 2025 Elections Rules and Regulations, the letter appointing delegates for the Elective Congress must be signed by both the president and the secretary general of the respective federation, clearly indicating the voting delegate.
Section 17.4 of the NOC-K Constitution further stipulates that nominations from member federations are only valid if signed by either the president and/or the secretary general.
