The Kenya Swimming Federation (KSF) has set a date for elections next month, putting the nation in position to end the suspension it’s been under for three and a half years.
The KSF has not held elections for several years, missing multiple deadlines to do so in the wake of the resignation of long-serving chairman Ben Ekumbo.
FINA (now World Aquatics) first suspended the KSF in December 2019 on a temporary basis, but after multiple failures to conduct elections, the federation was banned indefinitely in May 2022, meaning Kenyan athletes would have to compete under a neutral flag.
FINA then appointed a Stabilization Committee to run the KSF during the suspension, with the goal of leading the federation to conduct successful elections to ultimately get its sanctions lifted.
The first step in making that happen is now done, with elections scheduled for July 8 at the Moi International Sports Centre in the northeast of Nairobi.
Kenya’s Stabilization Committee Team Leader Michael Otieno told Kenyan outlet The Star that World Aquatics has approved the date, which is a one-week extension from the previous deadline of June 30.
“World Aquatics has given us the go-ahead. Our mandate was to conclude at the end of the month and we hope that come the next month, we will return the sport to its owners,” Otieno said.
“The board members will be announced on Saturday with the aim of conducting elections in a fair and transparent manner.
“The polls will be held under the new Constitution and my hope is that stakeholders, coaches, teachers parents, clubs, and counties can seize the moment and hold the elections so that sport can move forward.”
