There are headaches and sleepless nights aplenty for President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William as they prepare for party primaries next year.
Crises are not out of the question as incumbents and hopefuls jockey for position after Jubilee declared there will be no direct nominations and the people’s choices will not be ignored.
Eight important counties are considered hot spots where serious fallout is possible from competition for nominations. They are Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Nyeri, Bomet, Kericho, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet.
As they plan to launch their consolidated Jubilee Party later this month, bitter competition has broken out between elected leaders and aspirants — divisions that threaten party unity.
Jubilee says there will be no direct nominations.
However, Both aspirants and incumbents of various seats are fighting viciously to be named interim Jubilee officials so they influences who gets nominated.
But JP National Steering Committee co-chairman Noah Wekesa said,
“We are keen to ensure nominations are above board and members of the public will allowed to prevail. We do not want to kill democracy by imposing candidates on the people.”
Jubilee has proposed holding primaries three months to the election on August 8, 2017, and sources close to the two leaders say the priority is ensuring there is no or minimal fallout.
Governors in particular consider themselves third after Kenyatta and Ruto and some are requesting direct nominations, bypassing any primary and popular vote.
This could become a crisis.
Another potential crisis is the decision by the yet-to-be-launched Jubilee party to create bodies in each county to decide on candidates in 2017. According to aspirants, these are likely to be used by governors to deny tickets to their opponents.
Jubilee’s County Election Board of seven to nine members will decide who runs for 290 parliamentary seats, 47 Senate seats and governors’ offices, and ward seats.
The decision to devolve the nomination process is opposed by aspirants who think incumbents will lock them out and control the selection.
“We know some governors do not like some MPs and MCAs and to allow them to control this unit is a bad idea,” Nairobi governor hopeful Dennis Waweru told the Star yesterday.
All Jubilee coalition parties are supposed to dissolve and merge next month into the single Jubilee Party — the UhuRuto reelection vehicle — but the union has been off-again-on-again several times.
Ruto has urged Jubilee leaders to focus on the forthcoming elections.
“I ask leaders in Jubilee to focus their attention, energy and discussion on 2017 and how we are going to get Uhuru Kenyatta and Jubilee reelected so complete our transformation programme,” he said recently.
Ruto says Jubilee will meet late this month for the fusion of all affiliates
supposedly to unite all Kenyans.
“We cannot run the politics of Kenya, claiming to unite Kenyans if we divide them in various political parties,” he said.
The County Election Board, ratified a week ago by the JP steering committee, will determine all candidates in 2017.
But Uhuru and Ruto are said to be troubled over seven counties where more than three of their allies and political bigwigs are preparing to battle for various positions. A large number of senators are planning to wrest power from incumbent governors.
They are Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Nyeri, Bomet, Kericho and Nandi.
In Nairobi, the wisdom of Solomon will be required to ensure fair and smooth nominations.
Gunning for Governor Evans Kidero are presidential allies incumbent Senator Mike Sonko, Dagoreti South MP Dennis Waweru, nominated MP and TNA chairman Johnson Sakaja and former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru
Nakuru is another county where JP faces big fallout as key UhuRuto allies aim to dethrone Governor Kinuthia Mbugua. They include Transport Licensing Appeals Board chairman John Mututho, National Transport and Safety Authority chairman Lee Kinyanjui and Senator Njenga Mungai.
Kiambu county is another hot spot as Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu aims to topple Governor William Kabogo.
Both Waititu, who came second in the 2013 Nairobi governor’s race, and Kabogo are on good terms with the President and DP.
In Nyeri, the governor’s race has attracted billionaires seeking to topple incumbent Nderitu Gachagua. They include flamboyant Kirinyaga contractor owner Ephraim Maina, a close ally of Uhuru, and economist Wahome Gakuru, who lost to the incumbent in 2013.
Bomet in South Rift could also spell trouble for Jubilee as two close allies of Ruto eye the JP ticket. They are former Konoin MP Julius Kones and National Assembly deputy speaker Joyce Laboso.
Uhuru and Ruto are at a crossroads in picking the best and strongest to run against combative Bomet Governor Isaac Rutto who has already formed his own party, Chama Cha Mashinani.
Other problem counties are Kericho,Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet.
In Kericho, those fighting for the JP ticket include Governor Paul Chepkwony, former Roads minister Franklin Bett and former National Social Security Funds Managing Trustee Richard Langat.
In the running for Nandi governor are incumbent Cleopha Lagat, former Cabinet minister Henry Kosgei and former Agriculture CS Felix Kosgey.In Elgeyo Marakwet a tight race is shaping up between Governor Alex Tolgos, Keiyo South MP Jackson Kiptanui and auditor Bernard Chepkulei.
All three are Ruto allies seeking the JP ticket.
Yesterday JP National Steering Committee co-chairman Noah Wekesa said the party “was working on a mechanism to ensure free and fair nomination”.
Wekesa, who co-chairs the committee with Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi, said they want to ensure that the gave
nomination is handled with care to prevent post-primary fighting.
“We want a free, fair and credible nomination. Every aspirant will be part of the formation of the County Executive Committee mandated to oversee the nomination process,” he told the Star on the phone.
“We are aware some aspirants have worries and fears of how the nominations will go but I assure them hose who will have issues with how nominations will be conducted have a right to appeal to the NEC,” he said.
Nominations will be held on time so candidates with disputes can appeal, he said.
