The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Executive Committee (NEC) is seeking to halt the planned rollout of the fifth season of Safaricom Chapa Dimba.
In a letter addressed to Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa on behalf of the NEC, FKF Vice President McDonald Mariga indicated that the committee had not approved the arrangement surrounding the latest edition of the tournament.
The NEC asserted that strategic partnerships, financial commitments and federation-wide agreements must first go through its constitutional approval structures before implementation.
"Following the recent announcement and planned launch of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Season 5, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) wishes to clarify that any agreement or partnership arrangement undertaken without the approval of the NEC is null, irregular, and contrary to the provisions of the FKF Constitution, which vests oversight and decision-making authority on all strategic. financial, and partnership matters in the NEC," the letter read.
The committee argued that the federation’s constitution gives the NEC final authority over binding commitments entered into on behalf of FKF.
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"As the supreme decision-making organ of the Federation, the NEC is mandated under the FKF Constitution to approve all binding commitments entered into on behalf of FKF. Accordingly, any such arrangements undertaken outside this framework fall short of the required governance standards and procedures," the letter added.
Mariga’s letter also called for restraint as the federation moves to address the matter through its internal governance processes.
"In light of the foregoing, we kindly urge restraint and emphasize the need for compliance with the Constitution and established approval processes to ensure alignment with the Federation's governance framework," the letter further read.
Safaricom Chapa Dimba is a national grassroots youth football competition run by Safaricom in partnership with FKF.
It was created to identify and develop young football talent across Kenya through county, regional and national competitions for boys’ and girls’ teams.
Previous editions have also included prize money, coaching development, scholarships, and international training opportunities for standout players.
Notably, this comes days after the Ministry of Sports addressed the ongoing leadership wrangles within FKF.
Speaking on Tuesday, April 28, Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya acknowledged growing concerns over a possible split within the federation.
"I know currently we have issues in the federation; it's like we are going to have two factions. But what I want to tell you is that as a ministry, we don't have anything official on our table," he stated.
Mvurya pointed to the role of global football governing body FIFA in resolving the impasse, noting that the ministry is closely monitoring developments through media reports while awaiting formal direction.
"We've been following through your reports in the media, and we are happy that FIFA has already written to get communication from the federation, and we are also looking forward to the decision of FIFA once they receive these documents, they will give the way forward," he added.
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