Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier, has been accused by Sam Nyamweya of attempting to lock him out of elections.
By Mdadisi Mmoja in Nairobi
The current chairman of Kenya football Federation Sam Nyamweya has reportedly lodged an appeal with the Independent Electoral Board (IEB) to have his name on the ballot in the football elections slated for this September. When he launched his candidature at Pan Afric Hotel, Nyamweya told his captive audience: It was not a question of if, but when, he takes over the office in the elections that had been planned for august 13, no one is sure for now if he will manage to overcome the obstacles that are ahead of him.
Almost a month after that misplaced bragging at the Pan Afric hotel, and with the elections definitely cancelled, it happens that only Nyamweya's name had not been approved by the Independent Electoral Board (IEB).Everyone else, Hatimy, Mbarak, Rachier, Shako etc, have been cleared and the likelihood of either of them taking over the helm of running Kenyan football is high. But not Nyamweya, who has been reduced to the role of a cheerleader.So what happened? How come that despite the confidence he exuded during the launch, IEB has locked him out of the polls?
According to available information, IEB demurred because Nyamweya didn't comply with the rules and regulations the body published for all aspiring candidates.
One of the requirements was that candidates would only be cleared to vie after they submit tax compliance certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority to the board.
This is where everything turns murky for Nyamweya's candidature. First, he claims that he handed over all the requisite documents and accuses the Board of bias. He says the board is pushing for a pre-determined candidate.In fact he has accused the Board of being tribal. That it is manned by people from the same tribe and from the same county, who are pushing for one of their own.He further accused his former chairman Peter Kenneth for being behind his woes and fronting for Gor mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier.
Nyamweya claims that there is a deal between Kenneth and Rachier which goes beyond football, into the realm of national politics.He says part of this scheme involves Kenneth nominating Rachier as his running mate for the 2012 presidential race. Warning there was a deliberate attempt to frustrate the federation by the board in favour of other candidates, he warned that the federation was not ready to participate in an exercise that is a sham.
On the other hand, the Board has said nothing regarding this accusation, even though it is adamant that Nyamweya didn't comply with the set out rules regarding the forthcoming elections.
In the midst of all these accusations and counter accusations, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) which is supposed to issue the compliance certificate has been quiet as the Board and Nyamweya slugged it out in the open.Inside the KRA's silence lies the answer on who between Nyamweya and the Board is telling the truth.
Nyamweya's behavior is diversionary. It is a tactic aimed at removing focus from his wrongdoing and shortcomings and placing the blame on other people’s shoulders. This other people have nothing to do with his tribulations. In short, Nyamweya is politicizing a matter that is best criminal.
Nyamweya’s sideshow has been seen through KFF’s desperate attempt to suspend his vice chair Mbarak, who like; he is vying for the chairmanship of the body that will manage football. Mbarak had challenged Nyamweya to carry his own cross and stop dragging the entire KFF machinery into his alleged problems with the Board.
However investigations by The Weekly Vision reveal Nyamweya is the guilty party because he is being economical with the truth. On the other hand, the Board finds itself in a very difficult place. It has to either to respond to Nyamweya's self serving attacks, by telling the whole world of his alleged fraud, or maintaining silence and focusing on its core mandate of overseeing the elections.
We can reveal today, that if it was not for Internal Security minister George Saitoti, Nyamweya would today be cooling off in jail for fraud. Nyamweya is known to be a close ally of Saitoti for a long time. Their friendship started during their KANU days
It the minister who has apparently slowed down KRA push to arrest the man who forged its document.In fact, there have been some disquiet with the tax body over what action they should take against him after it emerged that KRA was not the source of the tax compliance certificate he presented to the Board.
Our mole inside KRA has revealed to us that Nyamweya forged the documents or he may have bribed some junior officers at the KRA to circumvent due process by issuing him the certificate he presented to the Board.
Nyamweya has maintained that he has cleared all his tax arrears. While no one disagrees with this, the proof would best be served if he provided receipts, he has refused to provide any.The funny thing is that in all this games, Nyamweya has trained his guns to IEB, not KRA. Yet, it is KRA that issues tax compliance certificates.It is not possible that KRA would issue the certificate and IEB invite legal proceedings by ignoring such receipts on its own volition. Would it?
If he has cleared his tax arrears, why hasn’t Nyamweya challenged KRA to come clean on the same? He cant because, therein lies his waterloo.
When KRA corporate communication freak Kennedy Onyonyi was asked whether some of the certificates presented by candidates were fake, he chose to keep quiet.
This was telling a statement. This silence showed that some unscrupulous were going to stop at nothing to escape their tax obligation.
A crisis chaired by the commissioner of domestic John Njiraini is believed to have decided to expose Nyamweya by going public and letting the law take its cause.
It was not just Saitoti who intervened to save his friend of many years.
The position was abandoned in furtherance to the KRA’s new policy where tax obligation is viewed more in terms of a client respect in strategic corporate management.
It was decided that denying Nyamweya clearance to run for KFF leadership was enough punishment and that notifying the police for possible criminal charges was not in the best interest for KRA corporate image.
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