Ababu Namwamba wins more praises after Fifa lifts suspension on Kenya

Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has received more plaudits following a decision by the world football governing body Fifa to lift the suspension on Kenyan football. On Monday Fifa lifted the suspension which was slapped on Kenya in February this year after the Ministry of Sports, under the leadership of the then Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, disbanded FKF over alleged misappropriation of funds and appointed a caretaker committee in November 2021. In a letter dated November 28, 2022 and signed by Fifa Secretary General Fatma Samoura, the world body said the lifting of the ban takes effect immediately after the Bureau of Fifa Council reviewed the situation of Football Kenya Federation. “In view of these circumstances, the Bureau of the Council decided on November 25, 2022 to lift the suspension of FKF with immediate effect,” Ms Samoura said in the letter. “Upon the lifting of the suspension, Fifa-Caf mission will be deployed to Nairobi in order to define the next step for the FKF and to aldo meet with the newly-appointed Cabinet Secretary for Sports,” the letter further reads. Also read: Former 7s player Biko Adema proposes to his girlfriend While reacting to the news, football administrator Twaha Mbarak proposed that a collective approach should now be adopted to restore sanity in the management of the game. Twaha has also congratulated Mr Namwamba for ensuring that within the short time he has been in office he has managed to convince the world football governing body to lift the suspension on Kenya. "I want to congratulate Namwamba for convincing Fifa to lift the ban. This will reopen the windows of opportunities for many stakeholders who earn their livelihood through football," Twaha said. Twaha said Namwamba's pledge to ensure that the law is followed even after the suspension has been lifted, shows that he is indeed committed to ensure that nobody mismanages football in the country for personal gain. Also read: Kenyan football back on course after Fifa lifts suspension "Namwamba should follow through his predecessor's efforts to protect the integrity of our game and restoring sanity and compliance to the rule of law," he added. Twaha said this will only be achieved by providing a lasting solution to the confusion witnessed in Kenya Football after every four years. At the same time, Twaha, who is currently in Qatar to watch the ongoing Fifa World Cup, regretted that some of Kenya referees who were qualified to officiate in the global football showpiece missed the opportunity because of the suspension, saying Kenya should never again find itself in such a mess. With Fifa indicating that it will send its representatives in the country to have an audience with all stakeholders, Mbarak expressed optimism that Kenya is likely to go the normalisation committee route which he termed the best option before fresh FKF elections are held. "People have lost confidence in the management of football in this country because the office holders have blatantly refused to comply with the Sports Act and Fifa statutes. Normalisation committee will be a big step forward," he said. Also read: Namwamba steps in after Kenya Sevens team calls for donations