Fresh storm over AK constitution review as reform battle drags on

There seems to be no end in sight in the battle for a new constitution at Athletics Kenya (AK).

For the last 10 years, a push for a federation constitution that aligns with the Sports Act 2013 and Kenya’s 2010 Constitution has stalled elections and kept officials in office for a decade, equivalent to two four-year terms, plus an additional two years.

But questions are now mounting over the seemingly endless impasse, with stakeholders asking whether controversial clauses, particularly those touching on elections, have been deliberately retained in the AK constitution to trigger legal battles and derail the reform process.

Hopes were that a reviewed constitution would finally break the impasse and pave the way for elections after a nationwide public participation exercise last year. Instead, the process has once again run into headwinds.

A constitution recently ratified and transmitted to the Registrar of Sports for registration has become the latest subject of contention, with stakeholders claiming that it does not fully align with the Sports Act and the Constitution and, more significantly, fails to capture proposals made during the nationwide public engagement.

On Monday, one faction of disgruntled AK officials gave the federation seven days to engage in dialogue; failure to do so, a petition would be filed in court seeking the removal of office bearers.

Under the reviewed AK constitution, which was passed by an Annual General Meeting and obtained by Standard Sports, the federation has adopted national, regional and county structures.

The move, however, has triggered an uproar among athletics stakeholders, with a section of officials demanding further reforms.

A document containing views presented by athletes and other stakeholders during the 2025 public forums shows that several participants proposed a two-tier system under which athletics would be managed at the national level and by each of the 47 counties, in line with the 2010 Constitution.

Although views were divergent, stakeholders such as Benson Keter are quoted in the document as having told the West Pokot public forum that there was a need for a “two-tier governance structure: county-national.”

The public engagement report also quotes Boniface Tiren, an AK secretary for Elgeyo Marakwet, as saying during his presentation: “We need a multi-level, that is, Ward, Sub-County, County and National levels representation system for athletes and coaches.”

Javelin star Julius Yego and former 800m world champion Janeth Jepkosgei, according to the public engagement report, called for the automatic recognition of athletes as members with the right to vote.

Yet the approved constitution has retained the regional system, comprising Central, Aberdare, Nairobi, North Rift, Central Rift, Eastern, Upper Eastern, North Eastern, North Coast, South Coast, Nyanza North, Nyanza South and Western regions.

It aligns with the Sports Act on the four-year term limit but retains the delegate system for elections.

“The term of office for members of the Executive Board shall be four (4) years commencing at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which their appointment is made, and expiring at the conclusion of the Fourth Annual General Meeting after election,” one of the election clauses states.

On Monday, two-time Boston Marathon champion Moses Tanui, who was among athletes who petitioned the AK constitution in 2016, seeking, among other reforms, express recognition of athletes and their right to elect office bearers, led a group of legends in expressing their displeasure with the document transmitted to the Registrar of Sports.

Tanui and retired athletes, including former 5000m star Hosea Kogo, 1999 world 3000m steeplechase champion Christopher Koskei and coach Noah Busienei, described the 2025 public participation exercise as a charade and called on Kenyan athletes to rise against what they described as attempts to deny them the right to participate in the affairs of their governing body.

“Our patience has been tested to the limit. We need action. We want a constitution that represents our views and protects the rights of athletes. Sadly, we participated in a public participation exercise and yet our views were not included in the final document,” Tanui said.

He added: “All Olympians and World Championship athletes must get their rights to exercise their democratic rights in their federation. I want to tell Kenyans that there is no Athletics Kenya without the athletes, and the athlete is the main stakeholder.”

The athletics legend claimed that some individuals were inserting contentious clauses into the reviewed constitution to create a crisis and prolong their stay in office.

"We want every athlete to vote for their leaders. We have spoken unequivocally that we want a two-tier devolved system as stipulated in the Kenyan Constitution. We want athletes from all the 47 counties to be represented at the national stage. Some people are lying to the nation that athletes only come from one region,” he added.

Abraham Mutai, an allegedly suspended chairman of the Central Rift region, said at least 13,000 athletes registered by AK should be allowed to vote in the election of federation leaders.

"We have given AK seven days to withdraw the constitution transmitted to the Registrar of Sports and engage in dialogue with stakeholders. Otherwise, people must immediately resign from their current positions to pave the way for reforms,” he said.

In a letter dated September 30, 2026, Tanui and others, through Kinoti and Kibe Advocates, asked Athletics Kenya to review a number of articles, including the removal of regional associations, to comply with Kenyan laws.

In March last year, the Court of Appeal gave the federation 90 days to review its constitution and align it with the Sports Act 2013 and the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

The Court of Appeal decision, delivered by Justices Pauline Nyamweya, Aggrey Muchelule and George Odunga, would have paved the way for AK elections in 2025, the same year the federation embarked on collecting views from athletics stakeholders.