ICC accused of 'washing its hands' over Kenyan crisis
Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, has dismissed an appeal over the controversial constitutional review currently being undertaken by the Kenya Cricket Association, but his response has not gone down well
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Samir Inamdar, the CCA's chairman, wrote a long letter to Speed last month highlighting concerns that the review was unconstitutional and designed to endorse the existing regime with a hand-picked membership. The current KCA board is in conflict with most of the country's clubs who object to the way it is run, and the ongoing players' strike showed the depth of feeling as most of their complaints were against the KCA.
The CCA has since May this year been embroiled in a court battle with the KCA in which it alleges that the board has violated its own constitution.
But Speed rejected Inamdar's request, insisting that the review was the way ahead. Claiming that he did not see the court proceedings as an impediment to the review process, he went on to say that it was "vital that all stakeholders of cricket in Kenya maximise their input within the review via the written submission and visitation processes which the commission has duly put in place. We strongly encourage the CCA and all its clubs to actively participate in this regard.
He concluded: "The ICC is sure that the CCA would share its desire for Kenya cricket to be a vibrant, progressive and all-inclusive entity and is also sure that you will do all that is possible to work towards achieving that end."
The letter was greeted with dismay by many within Kenyan cricket, who accused Speed of simply looking to brush the matter under the carpet and of ignoring the virtual civil war between the KCA board and the cricketing community.
"Speed refers to the input of the stakeholders," one said, "but he doesn't care that the commission hasn't made any real attempt to consult with most of them. Yet again the ICC appears to want to wash its hands of getting involved."
The exact state of the review is shrouded in mystery. After the initial media coverage, Cricinfo has not been able to find any clubs or groups of individuals who have actually been involved in the process. Even finding out who is on the review panel is far from straightforward. After making an initial announcement, a number of proxies were nominated which left many bemused.
The ICC's representative on the panel, Bob Merriman, who heads Cricket Australia, spent less than 24 hours in Nairobi at the start of the process and is understood to have been in Australia ever since. Sammy Obingo, the KCA's general manager who was appointed at the insistence of the ICC in April this year, has been keeping a low profile as well, and is currently involved in a bid to become chairman of the Kenyan Football Federation.
Repeated questions to the KCA requesting clarification have not been answered.
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