Rachier formally seeks re-election as Gor Mahia polls set for April 13
The city lawyer has been at the helm of one of the country’s foremost glamorous clubs for 17 years
Gor Mahia Football Club will hold its elections on April 13 with long serving chairman Ambrose Rachier confirming he will be vying for yet another term.
The Electoral Board and the observer team have already been identified and ratified with Office of the Registrar also been made aware of the club’s elections set for the Kasarani Indoor Arena. This was confirmed by Rachier during a media briefing at a Nairobi Hotel on Monday.
The city lawyer, who is also referred to as “Mugabe” in sporting circles, has defended his somewhat unpopular decision to run again after what has been at the helm of one of the country’s foremost glamorous clubs for 17 years.
“I have submitted my papers for a new term and I am ready to go again. I am very much in the race despite some noises. The Sports Act and the Constitution backs me including a ruling by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) so I am in it to the end. Our Constitution was passed and ratified by Sports Registrar in 2019 and in 2020 we held elections so as per our club rules and the Act, we are eligible for another term. I want to re-emphasize even to our doubters to read and internalize the law especially Regulation 20 of our Constitution and the Sports Act,” stated Rachier.
In his address, the Gor Mahia boss also mentioned experienced Sports Administrator Gichu Wahome as Chairperson of the Electoral Board. He will be flanked by four members including University of Nairobi (UoN) Law Don Prof. Ben Sihanya, former Kenya Airports’ Authority MD Henry Ogoye, Professor of Linguistics at Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and Ms.Rose Otili.
The observers team will be headed by Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) President James Waindi and consists of a Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Representative, Kenya National Sports Council (KNSC) Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Sports Representative, Chairman of Branch Chairmen (Gor Mahia),Stewards Representative and an official from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology.
The elections will be supervised by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which will provide a returning officer.
Meanwhile, Rachier has stated that the Club has pulled off a deal to secure land allocated to it next to the Kasarani Stadium due to complexities of securing a title.
“The process has been tedious and frustrating. We paid for it but getting a title deed is proving difficult and so we thought it wise to abandon that project. We are looking for an alternative land that will be registered under the club’s name. We tried to get assistance from Lands office but that proved futile as well,” he said.
“Looking broadly, facilities and infrastructure are a challenge for everyone and so this is a national problem. Today, we have refurbishments in City Stadium and also there is a slow progress in Talanta Stadium. Our national team has played home games in Malawi and Uganda recently so for us the plan is to go the joint venture way,” he added.
