- Sports Registrar Rose Wasike sharply condemned the club’s leadership for negligence, bad governance, and using delaying tactics to evade term limits.
- Sports Registrar Rose Wasike sharply condemned the club’s leadership for negligence, bad governance, and using delaying tactics to evade term limits.
The Office of the Sports Registrar has formally notified Gor Mahia Football Club to immediately commence the process of electing a new chairperson to replace Ambrose Rachier, the club’s most successful chairman in history.
In a stern directive issued on Friday, Sports Registrar Rose Wasike noted that Rachier had exceeded his term limits after serving for the allowed 8 years.
The core of the regulatory intervention hinges strictly on Paragraph C of the Second Schedule to the Sports Act as read together with Regulation 20(6) of the Sports Registrar Regulations, 2016, which caps the continuous tenure of elected sports officials at a maximum of eight years.
Because Gor Mahia was issued its Certificate of Registration on June 8, 2018, the Registrar clarified that the clock has been ticking ever since, officially running out at midnight on June 8, 2026.This legal boundary effectively neutralizes the landslide election victory Rachier secured in April 2025, rendering his current term illegal.
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The Registrar did not mince words regarding how the club’s transition has been managed, sharply criticizing the executive for ignoring prior warnings, exhibiting poor governance, and continuing to operate outside the law.
In the letter, the Registrar openly condemned the historical delays in the club’s electoral processes, writing that the delayed initial election was “an act I believe was a delaying tactic to evade the eight year term for elected officials.”
The Registrar went on to call this behavior “a sign of negligence, poor leadership and bad governance by officials that should not be condoned in any sports organization’s leadership.” Furthermore, the letter pointed out that despite these prolonged delays, “the officials continued to carry out activities of the Club; hence completion of the Chairman’s 8 year term.”
According to the formal notice, the Registrar’s office had already flagged the impending expiration of terms earlier this year, but the club’s leadership chose to ignore the timeline.
In the directive, the Registrar stated: “The Certificate of Registration was issued on 8th June, 2018. Consequently, and taking into account the maximum tenure of eight (8) years prescribed by law, the Chairperson’s allowable tenure expired at midnight on 8th June 2026.
The office was expecting an election notice from the Secretary of the Club to its members and the Sports Registrar before 8th June 2026 but it seems the Club ignored the provisions of the law and failed to issue the relevant notices for the purpose of replacing the Chair and any other elected officials whose eight-year term has lapsed.”
In light of these violations, the government has invoked its full regulatory powers to force an immediate leadership transition under a strict legal ultimatum.
Exercising authority under Section 45 of the Sports Act, the Registrar has placed the club on a tight two-week deadline to rectify the situation and notify its fan base.
In the directive, the Registrar stated: “In view of the foregoing, and in exercise of the regulatory powers conferred upon the Registrar under Section 45 of the Sports Act, this office directs the Secretary of Gor Mahia Football Club to issue a four-week election notice to the Sports Registrar and the Clubs’ Members as per the provisions of the Clubs’ Constitution for the position of the Club’s Chairperson and any other elected official whose term expired on 8th June, 2026.”
Gor Mahia has until June 24, 2026, to submit proof of compliance, with the Registrar ordering the executive to ensure compliance and submit the election notice to the office within two weeks from the date of the letter to avoid continued contravention of the law and ensure smooth transition.
This directive marks a historic and monumental shift for Kenya’s most successful and decorated football club, closing the most glittering chapter in its modern history.
Rachier, who originally took the reins of Gor Mahia’s leadership in May 2008 when he succeeded Erastus Okul, bows out as the club’s most successful chairman of all time.
Over his unmatched 18-year tenure, Rachier transformed K’Ogalo into an absolute juggernaut of East African football, overseeing a trophy-laden era that yielded a staggering 10 SportPesa League titles,including the record-extending 22nd league title secured just weeks ago,alongside four FKF Cups, six Super Cups, and a historic run into the CAF Confederation Cup quarters.
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