Cricket Kenya has postponed its vice chair elections, extending a long-running battle for control inside the federation’s board.
The Special General Meeting, originally set for this Sunday, will now be held on 19 October. The change, announced on Thursday, means the vote to fill the deputy leadership post will be pushed back by a month.
Chief Executive Officer Ronald Bukusi said the delay was linked to late funding from the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC is still auditing the federation’s accounts, he explained, and disbursements have yet to be released.
“This change has been necessitated by a delay in the remittances of funds from the ICC,” Bukusi said in a circular to members. He also serves as secretary to the Independent Election Panel overseeing the process.
Behind the official explanation, however, lies a deeper rift. Six of the eight board members recently voted to postpone the meeting, sidelining Chairman Manoj Patel, who has been stripped of executive authority after a vote of no confidence. Patel, supported by acting treasurer Kennedy Obuya, has insisted the elections should go ahead as planned.
The majority faction — which includes Pearlyne Omamo, Mary Maina, Beryl Oyugi, Pauline Njeri, Thomas Odoyo and Tariq Iqbal — has pressed forward with other decisions in recent weeks. Among them was the termination of a contract with Arena of Sports, a Dubai-India company set to run a controversial Twenty20 league. That project had been championed by Patel and Odoyo.
In its latest bulletin, the Independent Election Panel clarified that only accredited delegates from Cricket Kenya’s 24 county affiliates will be allowed to vote. Representatives must submit national identity cards by 3 October to be vetted and included in the final delegate list.
The panel is chaired by Aggrey Chebeda, with members drawn from law, engineering, football governance and public health.
To contain mounting disputes, the board has also established an Internal and Disciplinary Committee chaired by veteran sports official Zack Oloo. The committee is expected to handle grievances from board members, players and county officials.
“All disputes should be referred to the Committee by submitting a concise written statement of the grievances,” the board said.
For now, the delay means the leadership contest remains unresolved. With both camps digging in, the October vote is shaping up as a crucial test of Cricket Kenya’s fractured governance.
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