Ghai continues to defend KCA's actions

Sharad Ghai, the ousted chairman of the Kenyan Cricket Association, continued to protest his board's innocence in the light of comments from Ochilo Ayacko, the sports minister, that senior members of the KCA could be charged in relation to their running of the association.

Opposition to the board claim to have unearthed evidence of misappropriated funds, but Ghai denied any wrongdoing, accusing the minister of accepting the word of the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association, a bitter opponent of the KCA, as the "gospel truth". He asked for an opportunity "to meet the minister so that if there are unclear issues, we answer them to the satisfaction of all Kenyans."

Ghai also denied that the KCA had been blocking elections - none have been held by the board since 1997. "The KCA have always called for elections only to be blocked by court orders issued either to Coast Cricket Association (CCA) or NPCA," he insisted. This is true, but opponents point out that the elections were blocked as the KCA were trying to use a new and unauthorised constitution which weighted the votes in their favour.

"As the public is aware," Ghai concluded, "we have no option under the rules of civilised society to defy judicial authority."

Meanwhile, the government-appointed Normalisation Committee will not take charge of Kenyan cricket until the court order suspending its powers for 21 days has been heard of overturned. The KCA obtained a stay last Tuesday following Ayacko's decision to oust the existing KCA executive and replace it with a committee embracing many of Kenyan cricket's stakeholders.