Fifa official Jerome Champagne has questioned Balala's decision

Kenyan football was thrown into turmoil on Thursday when the government dissolved the country's football federation (KFF) and appointed a transitional committee to run the sport.

For the next three months, an interim committee headed by former Olympic athlete Mike Boit will run football in the East African nation.

Sports Minister Najib Balala said the committee will organize elections to a new body during its period of office, although world football's governing body Fifa has queried the validity of Balala's actions.

The Minister did not legally dissolve the KFF Fifa deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne

The minister's announcement came hours after the KFF headquarters were closed by the government, with staff denied entry to the Nyayo National Stadium secretariat by sentries posted to man the offices.

"We have locked the offices because their term of office has expired," said Joshua Okuthe, chairman of the Kenya National Sports Council (KNSC).

"We want to clean football once and for all."

The KFF has been dogged by allegations of corruption and a failure to provide strong youth training programmes.

Yet KFF secretary-general Hussein Swalleh said the minister had no business interfering in football and he threatened to obtain a court order overturning the dissolution.

Fifa, which disapproves of governmental interference into the running of national associations, agrees that Balala should not have interfered with Kenya's football federation.

"The minister did not legally dissolve the KFF but decided that the current office bearers' mandate ended today while the constitution says that it ends on 30 April," said Jerome Champagne, Fifa's deputy general secretary.

"I am currently co-ordinating Fifa's position with Caf to send a very strong letter to the KFF rejecting the Minister's position," he revealed to BBC Sport.

The KFF had been due to conduct national elections on 3 April following sub-branch elections which started on 20 March.

However, Balala nullified the sub-branch elections on Monday.

On Wednesday, the KFF announced it would continue with the elections after consultation with Fifa.

The 13-member transitional committee appointed by Balala is composed of coaches, referees and officials from Kenya's leading clubs.

In addition to organising fresh elections before handing over to an elected office, the committee's terms of reference include reviewing the KFF constitution.