The High Court in Eldoret has halted the much-anticipated elections of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), just hours before they were set to take place.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi issued the suspension on Thursday morning, citing a petition filed by Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) chairman Andrew Mudibo. The court ordered a temporary injunction pending the hearing and determination of Mudibo’s application challenging the electoral process.
“In the alternative, pending hearing and determination of the application, a temporary injunction do issue suspending the NOC-K Executive Committee Election scheduled to take place on 19.6.2025,” ruled Justice Nyakundi.
The ruling adds another layer to the protracted leadership wrangles within Kenya’s Olympic body. The current dispute dates back to April 23, when the elections were first postponed after four federations, Kenya Triathlon Federation (KTF), Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF), Kenya Handball Federation (KHF), and the Taekwondo Federation of Kenya (TFK), failed to reach consensus on eligible voting delegates.
Since then, the road to the polls has been marred by court cases and interventions from the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT). On Wednesday, the SDT ruled that Mudibo, who is vying for the position of Secretary General, had been improperly nominated, as KTTA was not a duly registered sports entity under the Sports Act of 2013 during the electoral process.
Despite the SDT setback, Mudibo appears determined to continue his fight, with Thursday’s court order temporarily derailing the NOC-K elections.
It remains unclear when the polls will now be held, as legal and administrative battles continue to cast a shadow over the governance of Kenya’s Olympic movement.
Written By Rodney Mbua
