Wrangles at Kenya Rugby Union pause as Mutai declared chair

Wrangles at the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) are seemingly headed for a pause after a ruling by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) declared Sasha Mutai the legitime leader of the Union, following weeks of internal fighting.

According to the Tribunal, Mutai was unprocedurally removed from office because as per the Kenya Rugby Union KRU statutes, a board meeting convened to discuss a vote of no confidence against Mutai was ill conceived.

The Tribunal released its ruling on Wednesday.

The board meeting, which was held on 6 March 2025, declared a vote of no confidence against former Kenya Harlequins boss Mutai for various reasons, leaning towards abuse of office.

That move, though, has been declared illegal by the courts.

The Tribunal found that the board meeting was convened in breach of Article 10.16.2 of the KRU Constitution, which mandates that only the Chair or, in his absence, the Vice-Chair can call a board meeting, and only after a proper 14-day notice period.

"The notice was issued on March 5 for a meeting the following day. No persuasive reason was given to justify this blatant disregard of the Constitution," the Tribunal ruled, granting relied to a subdued Mutai who has been walking on eggshells for the last few months.

In it's submission to the Tribunal, the KRU board had argued that Mutai bypassed internal dispute resolution mechanisms and prematurely took the matter to the SDT in essence insubordinating the same board he is answerable to.

In it's response however, the SDT disagred with the accusations by the KRU board, noting that the mechanisms in place lacked independence and fairness, especially when the aggrieved party was expected to appeal to the very board that suspended him.

"A man cannot be made judge in his own case," the Tribunal insisted.

It also fingered the KRU board for overstepping their mandate by curtailing freedom of expression and rights to justice for every Kenyan.

It further pointed out the lack of dispute resolution mechanisms and internal problem solving structures which it felt were flawed.

However, in what could open the door to future suites of a similar kind, the Tribunal declined to grant a permanent injunction preventing any future motions of no confidence against Mutai after his team requested it on the basis of alleged victimisation.

Such a request, if granted, the Tribunal said, was against the spirit of democratic governance.

The Tribunal criticized the KRU’s lack of adherence to proper governance protocols and called on the Sports Registrar to inspect the Union’s books and records and ensure adherence to the Sports Act.

Mutai was not available for comment when reached by Radio Generation Sport though sources within his office expect him to come out publicly soon to address the ongoing wrangles.