Progress as Nairobi finally agree to change

The embattled Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) has finally accepted that it has to amend its constitution, a decision reached during the two-day stakeholders meeting convened by Cricket Kenya (CK) at the weekend.

The NPCA has been constantly obstructing moves to make the changes despite agreeing to such a course in 2005, but following the meeting at the Parkland Sports Club they will now submit an amended constitution to clubs on Monday. A full council meeting will be called, then fresh elections for the NPCA committee. National elections - which had been held up by the issue - will then take place in the New Year.

Samir Inamdar, the CK chairman, said he expects the elections to take place early in 2008. "We have been waiting for Nairobi to select their delegates," Inamdar told the Nation. "and now that they have promised to do so, I can confidently say that we will go to polls early next year." The ICC, who had been looking on with dismay at the NPCA's actions, were represented at the meeting by the high performance manager Richard Done.

In the meeting itself it was agreed that the standard of local cricket had to be improved and that the Nairobi Province Cricket League, the bedrock of the sport in the country, was no longer competitive and that in turn threatened the strength of the national team.

The Central Provincial Cricket Association were not invited to the meeting because they had not confirmed if their province had at least three active clubs as required by a CK directive. They remain suspended.