FIFA SG Samoura sends out early warning to the Football Associations on the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup!

FIFA under the new Secretary General Fatma Samoura are trying a new approach considering the start of the process, when getting the host nation for the FIFA Football World Cup 2026 after the biggest frauds and kickbacks of late concerning South Africa, Qatar and Russia. Now, the organization after the case against itself in United States and the fall of Sepp Blatter. Surely the new FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants a change too! They are trying to swiftly change the organization, that is why Samoura has sent a letter to all Member Associations, to follow the 5th Principal in the Bid Rules of Conduct. Where it says:

“(i) conducting their own activities in relation to the Bidding Procedure in accordance with basic ethical principles such as integrity, responsibility, trustworthiness and fairness; (ii) rejecting any attempt to be influenced in relation to their function and obligations in relation to the Bidding Procedure; (iii) rejecting any gifts offered by any Candidate Host Associations, any of their bid consultants and/or nominees, unless such gift: a) only has symbolic or trivial value; b) excludes any influence for the execution or omission of an act that is related to their official activities or falls within their discretion; c) is not contrary to their duties; d) does not create any undue pecuniary or other advantage; and e) does not create a conflict of interest;” (2026 FWC Bidding Regulation).

In the letter from the Secretary General Samoura, it states very clearly to all:

“Notwithstanding the clarifications below, in order to ensure a fair and transparent bidding process, all football officials shall always conduct all of their own activities in relation to the bidding process in accordance with basic ethical principles such as integrity, responsibility, trustworthiness and fairness. Therefore, irrespective of the clarifications below, it must be understood that the Ethics Committee, as an independent judicial body, may, on its own initiative and at its full and independent discretion, decide to investigate whether any activities in connection with the bidding process are of an unethical nature by, for instance, creating an undue influence on the bidding process in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics and further specific rules contained in the Bid Rules of Conduct pursuant to article 5 of the Bidding Regulations” (Fatma Samoura – ‘Further guidance on the Bid Rules of Conduct for the process to select the host(s) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™’ 19.02.2018).

The FIFA Secretariat and Central Governing body is sending out a warning as the process is starting. Since they don’t want to have knowledge of or knowingly have people acting in bad faith or trying to corrupt fellow members. Even if that is the history of FIFA and the leadership of Joao Havelange and Sepp Blatter. They have done it with fineness and used time to fix the associations in their way, so they could find ways of using sport to get wealthy. That is well-known. Surely, Samoura want to change that paradigm and therefore write this letter to secure the process.

And you know that FIFA is afraid of getting corruption scandals, when Samoura has to type this:

“Accordingly, if a confederation, a regional association, a grouping of member associations or any individual member association is approached by a bidder offering a presentation of its bid, it is in principle fine to accept such an offer as long as the principles of fairness and transparency are respected. Therefore, in such an event, please notify FIFA in writing about any such offer from a bidder, but please also accept the offer of a presentation by the competitive bidder, offering both bidders the same format and attendance” ((Fatma Samoura – ‘Further guidance on the Bid Rules of Conduct for the process to select the host(s) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™’ 19.02.2018).

So now if let’s say the United Kingdom wants to have the bid in Europe and the want to present it to France and Germany, than they have to notify FIFA and also allow the same delegation to travel to another bidder. Not make it exclusive, to make sure the process isn’t paid off as in the past. This will make the bidding process more hectic, but hopefully more transparent. Since it has been filled with PR Stunts and sudden pay-offs in the past, but not shown in public what is happening behind the scenes.

We can hope that FIFA is trying to change and not using words flamboyantly, to trigger the press and associations, that the process will be transparent and fair. However, their history is known of paying of minor or poor organizations to get the needed votes, also to make sure the confederates of several regions are getting a slice. To make sure the bidding nation get the swinging votes. We have to see if this can be altered, if the corrupt machinery can be stopped. That would be interesting, even if you take the head, the body is still the same. We just have to wait and see, if some skeletons comes out of the closet or not. Peace.

Press Release: FIFA fails to tackle Corruption crisis (20.07.2015) and FIFA Press Release: Ethics Committee regarding Code of Ethics (16.07.2015)

Measures announced today by FIFA fall far short of what is required to clean out corruption at FIFA and its associations.

Instead of agreeing to a serious independent reform commission, FIFA today announced yet another task force made up of 10 FIFA confederation members and one independent chair who has not yet been named. This will not be sufficient to win back trust in FIFA.

So far nine current and former officials face corruption charges in the United States. A judge has called FIFA a racketeering-influenced corrupt organisation. Those charged include officials on the highest FIFA committees and responsible for FIFA’s governance and compliance.

There are on-going investigations into the awarding of the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, and the Swiss authorities are investigating 81 suspicious activities involving FIFA.

Transparency International said that without a real independent reform commission there can be no confidence that FIFA can end its corruption crisis.

“FIFA is a rotten democracy where votes can be bought, bribes can be made and money can be laundered. It has promised reform many times before and failed dismally. They have failed fans and supporters today,” said Neil Martinson, Transparency International’s Director of Communications.

Transparency International with the #NewFIFANow campaign and the International Trade Union Confederation will continue to put pressure on the sponsors to ensure FIFA makes the kind of root and branch reforms that will lead to a new culture of integrity.

Transparency International says that to clean up FIFA has to:

• appoint independent non-executives to the Executive Committee, changing the President is not enough
• conduct independent integrity checks. FIFA announced it would introduce in-house integrity checks as part of the Ethics Committee remit
• complete public declarations of interests; publication of salaries is not enough
• two terms limited to four years and no more
• complete financial transparency for FIFA, the regional confederations and the national football associations

Sepp Blatter was in charge when most of the corruption took place over many years. He should step down immediately. Potential candidates to replace him must accept that without an independent reform commission there will be no confidence or trust in FIFA.

Press contact(s):

Zurich:
Neil Martinson +49 1721994938
Deborah Unger +44 7432166622

Berlin:
T: +49 30 34 38 20 666
E: press@transparency.org

FIFA’s own statement on the new Ethics commitetee:

FIFA statement on proposals by Ethics Committee regarding Code of Ethics:

“FIFA fully supports the initiative to further enhance the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE) announced today by the chairmen of the adjudicatory and investigatory chambers of the independent Ethics Committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély(…)The request and proposals are in line with the ongoing FCE revision process started by FIFA and the Ethics Committee in 2013. We are dedicated to improving FIFA as an organisation, and will continue to strengthen its governance and accountability. Our work in this area continuously evolves, and we are focused on achieving the highest standards for the international football community(…)The current version of the FIFA Code of Ethics was drafted in cooperation with and was approved by the Independent Governance Committee (IGC) in 2012, following a proposal from the Task Force Ethics Committee established at the time, as part of FIFA’s reform process initiated in 2011”.

Link on FIFA: FIFA Ethics Committee – Code of Ethics Press Release

Link on Transparency International: Transparency International – FIFA Press Release

Press Release: Right Of Reply: Joint Statement Of The Civil Society Organizations Reference Group (CSORG), Inter Religious Council Of Kenya (IRCK), And The National Council Of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs Council) On The Proposed Amendments To The Public Benefits Organizations ACT, 2013

THE Civil Society Organizations Reference Group (CSORG), Inter Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK), and the National Council of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs Council) are perturbed by a statement released by the NGOs Co-ordination Board to the media to the effect that jointly with the Ministry of Devolution and Planning; the Board has submitted proposed amendments to the Public Benefits Organizations (PBO) Act, 2013 to the National Assembly.

EQUALLY disturbing is the claim in the statement that the Task Force on the Proposed Amendments to the PBO Act recommended that the law be amended before its operationalization.

WE wish to state that the overarching recommendation of the Task Force as indeed the overwhelming views collected from stakeholders and the general public is that the  2013 Act be implemented without any further delay considering that it was debated, approved and enacted into law by retired President H.E. Mwai Kibaki on January 14, 2013.

Indeed, in all the public hearings that the Task Force conducted throughout the country, all presentations and memoranda submitted by the various stakeholders were unanimous that only immediate implementation of the Act will help consolidate the gains that Kenyans have made in the exercise of their constitutionally protected rights and freedoms of expression, association and participation in the management of public affairs.

In addition to having representation in the Task Force, The CSORG attended and documented on video and audio ALL its regional and stakeholder meetings apart from a meeting with Members of National Assembly. The CSORG has developed a shadow report based on this documentary evidence. The report demonstrates an overwhelming majority of Kenyans asking for the commencement of the Act without any amendments.

IT is quite telling that while the NGOs Coordination Board went out of its way to enumerate some of the organizations that were represented in the Hon. Sophia Abdi Task Force on the Proposed Amendments to the PBO Act, the Executive Director of the NGOs Coordination Board, Fazul Mohammed found it convenient not to point out that he was the representative of the Board in the Task Force as an interested party and, as such, lost the moral ground to spearhead the implementation of the Act that has been unnecessarily delayed for more than two years.

One of the cardinal values and principles of governance articulated in Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 that binds all State organs, including State and Public Officers of who the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, Hon. Anne Waiguru and the NGOs Coordination Board Executive Director Fazul Mohammed are an integral part is accountability.

YET despite the clarity of such constitutional ethos of governance, the Cabinet Secretary has once again chosen not to be guided by the obviously compelling right of the public whose resources were spent on the Task Force to make the report public, in complete and arrogant defiance of Article 35 on the right of the public and stakeholders to information.

The CSORG, IRCK, and the NGO Council wish to point out that right from the time of their appointments, the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning and the Executive Director of the NGOs Coordination Board have acted with such impunity against the civil society as though they are above the law, including the supreme law of the land.

A case in point is the obtaining situation at the NGOs Coordination Board where the term of all Directors save for that of the Executive Director expired in March 2015 yet Fazul Mohammed has the audacity to claim that the “Board reviewed the Task Force Report and recommendations and has since forwarded the proposed amendments to the Attorney General and the Clerk of the National Assembly for inclusion in the Miscellaneous Amendments Bill 2015”.

Mr. Fazul Mohammed owes the public an explanation as to who else, other than himself, sat in the Board that “reviewed the Task Force report and its recommendations and forwarded the proposed amendments to the AG and the Clerk of the National Assembly for inclusion in the Miscellaneous Amendments Bill 2015”. His eloquence when deregistering NGOs for not abiding by “due process” is not matched by due diligence when he purports to be executing decisions of a board that does not exist!

It is the position of the CSORG, IRCK, and the NGOs Council that any decisions that the NGOs Coordination Board has made after the expiry of the term of the Board, including the alleged deregistration of some NGOs, are null and void as it is only the Board that is mandated by the law to make public policy decisions.

The letter and spirit of the NGO Coordination Act of 1990 that established the NGO Coordination Board did not envisage the situation now obtaining at the Board, where one man – Fazul Mohammed sits with the Secretariat and claims that whatever decision is made at such staff meeting is a decision of the Board. There cannot be a Board without directors and Fazul Mohammed should be aware that whatever decisions he claims to have been made by the Board are challengeable in Court.

WE, THE CSORG, IRCK, and the NGOs Council wish to reiterate our demand that the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning comes out of her self-constructed cocoon of impunity and make the report of the Task Force on the Proposed Amendments to the PBO Act public.

It is only through the immediate commencement of the Public Benefits Organizations Act without unwarranted State-instigated amendments that the civil society can consolidate the gains and deepen its collaboration and respectful partnership with the government in serving the public. Immediate implementation of the law will also go a long way in unshackling the NGOs Coordination Board from the current shenanigans and the one-man show that it has become after the expiry of the term of its previous Board of Directors.

Joint Statement: Nairobi County on decongestion and traffic circurlation in Nairobi City issued on Monday 9th March, 2015.

STATEMENT

JOINT STATEMENT BY ENG. MICHAEL S.M KAMAU, CBS, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND DR. EVANS KIDERO, GOVERNOR,NAIROBI COUNTY ON DECONGESTION AND TRAFFIC CIRCULATION IN NAIROBI CITY ISSUED ON MONDAY 9^TH MARCH, 2015 AT CITY HALL

Members of the Media

We have convened this briefing to inform Kenyans and Nairobi City residents of the joint plans the National and County Government of Nairobi have to address traffic jams in the City. The congestion of the city is a matter great concern to all as a result of the long commute times, man hours lost and the obvious high cost of transport and doing business.

The National Government and County of Nairobi will be working closely to implementation of short, medium and long-term measures to tackle the problem.

You may recall that on 21^st October, 2014, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure signed an MOU with the counties of Nairobi Metropolitan Area to pave way for co-operation with regard to matters of transport and transit systems in the metropolitan area. This initiative to deal with traffic congestion in the city of Nairobi is being implemented within this framework.

We are alive to the fact that congestion situation in Nairobi requires immediate action but we are also aware that a one-off quick fix will not deliver the results Kenyans deserve and therefore the approach will be focused, consistent and systematic devoid of the fear to experiment, make mistakes and correct them.

Congestion in Nairobi City is due to a transport system, that has experienced exponential growth in vehicle population without commensurate expansion of road infrastructure. The situation has been worsened by inadequate public transport system with the capacity to ferrying the growing number of commuters within the metropolitan area efficiently.

In order to provide leadership in addressing this challenge, we have constituted and gazetted an inter-disciplinary Task Force chaired by Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi, the County Executive Committee Member for Roads and Transport, Nairobi City County to continuously identify causes of traffic bottlenecks and come up with effective solutions to address them.

The team has already come up with a plan that will be rolled out as follows:

SHORT-TERM/QUICK WINS (0-12 weeks)

Review of PSV termini, bus stops and routes

It has been noted that PSV’s have converted some streets in the CBD as termini causing congestion. In order to address the problem and also streamline PSV operations in the city the following measures will be implemented:

1. Review all PSV termini and bus stops in the city and redesign routes to avoid termination of PSV’s in the CBD.
2. Enforce the Nairobi County by-Law that allows PSV to wait for passengers at termini for a maximum of 40 minutes and 5 minutes at bus stops.
3. Review all PSV routes to improve traffic flow and gazette the same.
4. Suspension of licensing of PSV’s on Nairobi City routes until a demand analysis of all routes is undertaken to justify issuance of additional licenses.
5. A multi-agency team comprising NTSA, Nairobi County and traffic police will enforce and ensure all PSVs comply with NTSA act, City by-laws and the Traffic Act.

Improvement of Junctions

Twenty one (21)road junctions have been identified for improvement along the arterial roads to improve traffic flow. These include, Ngong Road, Argwings Kodhek Road, Haile- Selassie Avenue, Jogoo Road, Mombasa Road, Langata Road and Kiambu Road. Contracts have already been awarded to improve junctions by constructing side lanes to divert some of the traffic from using roundabouts. Already, implementation is taking place along Ngong road at Muchai Drive.

Removal of Roundabouts

We are addressing traffic movement along the arterial road, A104 (Waiyaki Way-Uhuru Highway-Mombasa Road). There are 6 roundabouts where 70 percent of traffic builds up during rush hours thereby hindering smooth flow along the busy stretch.

In order to improve the flow by about 30-40 per cent, five (5) roundabouts will be removed and substituted with signalized intersections. The affected roundabouts include the intersection between University Way and Uhuru Highway, Kenyatta Avenue and Uhuru Highway, Haile-Selassie Avenue with Uhuru Highway, Bunyala and Lusaka roundabouts. The roundabout at Westlands will be configured to avoid right turning movements and traffic redirected accordingly.

MEDIUM-TERM (6months +)

In the Medium- term, improvements will be made to expand the road network various corridors in and out of the city. Indeed works in some cases are ongoing and will be completed soon these include:

• Outer ring road
• Mombasa Road-Uhuru Highway
• Waiyaki Way
• Njiru-Juja Road
• Ngong Road-Show Ground
• Langata Road
• Thika Road
• Jogoo Road
• Mbagathi Road

Construction of the Southern bypass is ongoing and it should be completed very soon. This bypass will provide an important alternative to west bound traffic that does not need to cross the CBD.

Similarly, road missing links, namely: KunguKarumba-NgongRoad, Langata Road-Bomas, 1^st Avenue Eastleigh, Upper Hill, and along Outering Road are all planned for pavement in order to provide alternative routes to improve traffic flow.

In addition, an Intelligent Transport System with centrally controlled Traffic Management Centre for the City will be implemented to manage traffic movement.

LONG- TERM (3 Years +)

The sustainable solution to traffic congestion will be to develop and implement an efficient and effective mass rapid public transport system that will include Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) commuter rail and Light Rail Transit (LRT).   The development of these systems is at various stages of implementation. Indeed the Government is proceeding to create the institutional framework through the Nairobi Metropolitan Transit Authority to provide a coherent coordinated approach to Nairobi Metropolitan transit issues.

In conclusion it is noteworthy that some of the traffic jams are caused by lack of courtesy and bad driving habits. We urge all drivers to act with courtesy and avoid bad driving habits like overlapping.

We also recognize that we require the support of all our stakeholders who include PSV operators, commercial and private vehicle owners. We also look forward to the support of the media in communicating some of the changes we will be making and giving us feedback on what is working and what is not working so that we can keep the city of Nairobi moving.

Thank you

Eng. M. S.M Kamau, CBS                                        Hon. Dr. Evans Kidero

Cabinet Secretary                                                       Governor

Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure                          Nairobi City County