Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has called on all parties involved in the ongoing disputes in Kenyan football to urgently withdraw their cases from court and seek alternative ways of resolving their differences.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsOwalo, who spoke during a press conference on Tuesday, 22 September, said the continued wrangling within Kenyan football is damaging the game at a time when the country is preparing to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.He particularly raised concern over the uncertainty surrounding the FKF Premier League kick-off, which has been affected by a series of legal battles and court injunctions, with the new season yet to commence.##NAJAVA_MECA_9978907##“With the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) ahead of us, which Kenya will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania, sadly, the state of Kenyan football remains wanting due to the infighting within the Football Kenya Federation. The league is being held hostage by legal battles and court injunctions,” Owalo said.Having considered the situation, the former Gor Mahia patron urged all parties to “unconditionally and urgently” withdraw the cases currently before the courts.“This is a moment for sobriety, not muscle flexing. It is a moment when we must collectively stand up and demand an end to bickering, self-interest and infighting,” he said.Anthony Akumu sets ambitious 2027 AFCON target after bitter 2019 snubOwalo also called out what he described as 'cartelism' in Kenyan football, warning that the ongoing disputes are ultimately hurting players who depend on the sport for their livelihoods.“It is time to call out those who will stop at nothing, even if it means our sons, the footballers who depend on the game to put food on the table and support their livelihoods – are left hungry, heartbroken and on the brink,” he said.“How cruel can we be? Is that leadership? Why, I ask, would someone proclaim to love football yet take pride when our league is in shambles, and the future of our children is at stake?”Why Patrick Matasi believes he deserves second chance with Harambee StarsOwalo said the focus should now be on finding a way out of the current impasse, particularly over the running of the FKF Premier League.“I am here to call for a solution and a way out of the quagmire in which we find ourselves as a country, particularly with regard to the Kenyan Premier League,” he said.He proposed the use of alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms to settle the competing interests and allow the league to resume.Tusker chairman reveals the club's new home ground for 2026-2027 season“Let us look for alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms. Let us save the league. Let us safeguard the sporting future of our footballers. Let us get this right,” Owalo said.His intervention comes as Kenyan football remains embroiled in legal disputes both at the National Executive Committee level and at club level, where the league has stalled.
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