Jubilee Alliance Party of Kenya — which President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto aim to use to win the 2017 polls — is not registered, the Star has established.
This means Jubilee candidates in the upcoming Kajiado Central Parliamentary seat by-election on March 16 may be forced to run on either TNA or URP tickets.
Yesterday, Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndungu confirmed the party is yet to be formally registered.
“The party is not registered yet but the process has commenced,” Ndungu told the Star, shortly after Jubilee officials announced their intention to merge TNA and URP into a single party and new political vehicle.
The ruling coalition intends to transform the Conservative Party, a fully registered political outfit, into the Jubilee Alliance of Kenya.
However, The Political Parties Act sets out an elaborate procedure requiring at least 44 days before the name can formally be changed.
Though the Kajiado Central by-election is scheduled for March 16, political party primaries must be completed by January 29.
According to Section 20 of the Act, the Registrar must issue a notice of intended name-change in the Kenya Gazette 14 days after receipt of notification from a political party.
“Upon expiry of thirty days from the date of publication of the notice in subsection (1), the political party may, after taking into account any representations received from the public under subsection (1) and (2), effect the change or alteration in accordance with its constitution and rules,” Section 20 (3) states.
In a clearly calculated move by Uhuru and Ruto to erode Cord’s support base, the party has appointed Nelson Dzuya the new chairman.
Dzuya comes from Mombasa county where Cord leader Raila Odinga enjoys massive political support.
David Murathe is the new vice chairman, while Veronica Nduati is the secretary general.
Caleb Kositany has been named deputy secretary, while Alfred Mutai and Fatuma Mohamed are treasurer and deputy treasurer, respectively.
Abdul Haji, who is said to be the son of the current Garissa senator Yussuf Haji, is the organizing secretary deputised by Pamela Mutua.
The ruling Jubilee coalition has pledged to field one candidate for the by-election to fight it out with the Cord candidate for the seat left vacant after appointment of General Joseph Nkaissery as Interior minister.
Yesterday TNA secretary general Onyango Oloo and his URP counterpart Fred Muteti said neither party will be dissolved any soon until the National Executive Councils of the two parties approve the deal.
“TNA and URP will not be dissolved now. Our respective party organs must approve the new deal,” Muteti told a press conference held at TNA headquarters in Nairobi.
He said their flag bearer will emerge the winner in the by elections.
“We want to assure you that we trust to win by 80 percent in Kajiado Central since the place is a Jubilee zone,” Muteti added.
The two officials said they will carry out joint nominations and the candidate will run on the ticket of the new Jubilee Alliance Party.
“Nominations will be free and fair, transparent and above board,” he said.
This is likely to prove challenging to Jubilee leaders to support the candidate, since the Political Parties Act bars them from from supporting the principles of another party.
Source-the-star.co.ke
