Inside Olal’s push to have Nairobi County Hockey Association elections quashed
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Reading Time: 5min | Sun. 18.01.26. | 21:03
Beyond the Nairobi County dispute, the case raises broader questions about sports governance, transparency, and oversight within county associations
Former Nairobi County Hockey Association (NCHA) Secretary General Thomas Olal Onyango has moved to the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) seeking to nullify the NCHA elections, held on 22 November 2025, arguing that the entire process was unlawful, unconstitutional and conducted in violation of the Sports Act and the association’s constitution.
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In filings lodged in Nairobi, Olal has sued NCHA, the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU), and the Sports Registrar, challenging both the process that led to the elections and the legitimacy of the officials who emerged from them.
Urgent application to halt implementation
Alongside a substantive Statement of Claim, Olal filed an urgent application requesting the Tribunal to issue conservatory and interim orders suspending the implementation and recognition of the disputed elections, pending the hearing and determination of the case.
In the application, Olal warns that unless the Tribunal intervenes, individuals whose mandate is derived from what he terms an "illegal process" will continue to exercise executive authority, access association funds, make binding governance decisions, and represent Nairobi County at national forums.
He believes these actions could irreversibly alter the governance of county hockey.
At the heart of the dispute is a meeting held on 14 June 2025 at Sikh Union, Nairobi, which Olal says was irregularly described as a “town hall meeting” of NCHA.
According to the claim, the meeting was convened without notice to registered Nairobi hockey clubs, who are the lawful stakeholders of the association and was not sanctioned under any provision of the NCHA Constitution.
Olal alleges that the meeting lacked quorum and did not involve nominations or voting.
Despite this, the meeting is said to have “opted” Peter Njoroge as Interim President and Clayson Luvanda as Interim Secretary General, a process Olal argues is unknown to law and democratic governance.
A subsequent virtual meeting on 29 June 2025, which Olal says was also held without stakeholder notice or quorum, allegedly sought to ratify the same officials, alongside Francis Munyao Kisaingu as Interim Treasurer-and assign them the mandate to conduct NCHA elections.
Conflict of interest allegations
A key plank of Olal’s claim concerns Kisaingu, who was elected Deputy Treasurer of the Kenya Hockey Union on 26 July 2025.
Olal argues that upon assuming office at the national federation, Kisaingu automatically lost any authority to continue serving in an executive or interim capacity within NCHA.
His continued involvement in county affairs, including issuing election-related notices, is cited as a conflict of interest and unlawful intermeddling, contrary to established sports governance norms, that prohibit dual office-holding between national and county bodies.
Election dates, cancellations and venue hanges
The claim outlines a series of disputed decisions leading up to the November elections:
On 3 September 2025, NCHA wrote to the Sports Registrar seeking approval to hold elections on 4 October 2025.
On 19 September, stakeholders were informed that approval had been granted.
On 30 September, the elections were unilaterally cancelled on grounds that the 21-day constitutional notice requirement had not been met.
On 1 October, Paul Omany, described in the claim as a former interim president who had resigned earlier in the year, wrote to the Sports Registrar seeking to postpone the elections to 1 November 2025, a move Olal says was ultra vires.
On 29 October, KHU Deputy Treasurer Kisaingu issued a notice calling for elections on 22 November 2025 at the KHU Boardroom.
However, Olal states that the elections were ultimately conducted at Parklands Sports Club, not the KHU Boardroom, without notice to stakeholders, effectively locking out legitimate voters.
Alleged irregularities on election day
According to the Statement of Claim, the unilateral change of venue and the manner in which the elections were conducted rendered the process opaque, discriminatory, exclusionary, and unconstitutional.
Olal contends that there is no evidence of approval by the Sports Registrar for the final change of date or venue, and that the elections therefore failed to meet the threshold set by the Sports Act, 2013, and the NCHA Constitution.
Issues before Tribunal
In his filings, Olal asks the Tribunal to determine, among other issues: whether stakeholders were notified of the June meetings, whether the meetings met quorum requirements, whether a KHU executive official could lawfully conduct or influence county elections, who lawfully held office within NCHA at various stages in 2025 and whether the 22 November 2025 elections complied with the law.
Olal is seeking declarations that the elections were illegal and null and void, orders quashing all resolutions and appointments arising from them, and directions compelling the Sports Registrar to supervise fresh elections within 60 days in strict compliance with the law.
He has also asked the tribunal to restrain the current office holders from exercising authority pending the outcome of the case.
Beyond the Nairobi County dispute, the case raises broader questions about sports governance, transparency, and oversight within county associations and the role of national federations in local electoral processes.
The matter is expected to attract close attention from hockey stakeholders, particularly as Nairobi County is a major hub of the sport and plays a significant role in national competitions.
On 30 December, 2025, the SDT Chair Bernard Murunga certified the matter as not urgent and instructed the respondents to file and serve their responses to the Application on or before 5 pm on 19 January 2026.
The panel constituted to hear this matter shall be Luke Irungu – Panel Chair, Allan Mola and Eddie Omondi.
The case shall be mentioned on 20 January at 2.30 pm via Microsoft Teams before the Tribunal to confirm compliance and for further directions.
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