Kenya is among the five English-speaking African countries that have fielded candidates for a seat at the prestigious Fifa Council.
Nick Mwendwa who won a second term as football boss in Kenya has thrown himself into the the battle where he will face out strong challenge from among others, neighboring Tanzania.
Africa has seven seats in the Fifa Council — three reserved for French speaking countries, two for English speakers, one for Arabic nations and the last one reserved for one of the CAF vice presidents.
Mwendwa will battle with fellow Cecafa member Tanzanian, two from the Concaf region (South Africa and Malawi) and either Ghana or Nigeria for the two seats reserved for English speaking African countries.
The Cecafa region has never had a member at the Fifa Council though the fact that both Tanzania and Kenya will be going for it might jeopardize the region’s chances, unlike West Africa that will have just one candidate.
The 36-member Fifa Council is tasked with the responsibility for setting the overall strategic direction of world football’s governing body.
On Thursday, Mwendwa will kick off a lengthy campaign trail with a trip to Morocco as he seeks to convince over 50 CAF members to vote him into the prestigious seat.
“If elected, will have the privilege of firsthand information at CAF because I, by default, will be sitting in the CAF executive committee,” Mwendwa who earned a second term over the weekend told Nairobi’s Hot 96.
Mwendwa now dives deeper into the football politics even as he faces serious integrity issue back at home.
There is an ongoing investigation on his administration over alleged misuse of funds, including the Sh125 million (1.2 million dollars) Fifa funds that was meant for the purchase of an Outside Broadcast (OB) van.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) paid WTS Media Group Limited, a British firm that has since been put under receivership, to procure a multi-purpose OB van, moments before company was declared insolvent.
That is just but one of the financial ghosts that Mwendwa’s administration is battling.
There is an open file at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation as the detectives continue to piece up information on the Harambee Stars expenditure at the last Afcon finals.
Part of that money, some sources say, was used to purchase direct contracts with bank transaction showing that Mwendwa also wired federation funds to his private account.
The Fifa Council elections are set for April 2021
