World football governing body FIFA on Monday announced that it had lifted a ban it had slapped on the Football Kenyan Federation (FKF) on February 25, 2022.

FIFA banned Kenya from all football activities following what it termed as interference by the government with FKF, which is the body that oversees all football activities in Kenya.

In its ban, FIFA lambasted then Sports CS Amina Mohamed’s move to disband FKF on November 11, 2021 and picking a caretaker committee to replace its Executive Committee.

In the statement announcing the ban lifting, FIFA Secretary-General Fatma Samoura said the body and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will send representatives to Kenya for a meeting with new Sports CS Ababu Namwamba.

“The bureau of the Council decided on November 25 to lift the suspension of the FKF with immediate effect. Upon lifting the suspension, a FIFA-CAF mission will be deployed to Nairobi in order to define the next steps for the FKF and to meet with the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary for Sports,” reads the statement in part.

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No Kenyan team was allowed to compete at any international events due to the ban causing Kenya to miss the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Champions League and CAF Confederation.

Club leagues in Kenya, which were slated for the end of August, did not commence after club sides vowed to skip the matches until the league received a FIFA clean bill of health.

“We want to solve the current standoff between FKF and FIFA as soon as possible. Outgoing CS Amina has well briefed me and we want to look at the proposals put forward herein to solve this matter, taking into account President Ruto’s call to fidelity to rule of law,” Namwamba said.

Amina Mohamed and Ababu Namwamba.

FIFA, however, clarified that it made the decision to lift the sanction on Kenya without being influenced by the investigations and court cases that are ongoing in the country.

In her crackdown on FKF, CS Amina had also fired president Nick Mwendwa, CEO Barry Otieno and other officials over claims of embezzlement of soccer funds at Kandanda House.

She then established a caretaker committee headed by former Judge Aaron Ringera to manage the federation for six months even as FIFA warned her of a ban on Kenya.

FIFA opted for the ban route after the former Sports CS refused to recall the officials she sent packing that saw Mwendwa arrested and later charged with Sh39 million fraud.