Ford-Kenya on Thursday moved to replace former chairman and Turkana Senator John Munyes who decamped to Jubilee Party.
The party named Joe Ruhu as the acting national chairman and Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale was appointed deputy party leader.
The new officials were unveiled after a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee and the Parliamentary Group. Ford-Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula chaired the meeting
The meeting was called to fill positions left vacant following the defection of Mr Munyes, Turkana East MP Nicholas Ng’ikor and Khatib Mwashetani (Msambweni) to the new Jubilee Party last week.
“There is absolutely no vacuum, we are in the process of filling the other vacant positions,” Ford-Kenya Secretary General Dr Eseli Simiyu.
Mr Munyes and Mr Ng’ikor announced they have quit Ford-Kenya during the dissolution of New Ford-Kenya.
They urged Mr Wetang’ula to lead the rest of the members and supporters to the new party.
Mr Mwashetani on the other hand stopped associating with Ford-Kenya over a year ago and has been part of a group of Coast politicians coalescing around the Jubilee administration.
Alongside Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, Kilifi South MP Mustafa Idd and Kwale Women Representative Zainabu Chidzuga and lately Likoni MP Mwalimu Mwahima, Mr Mwashetani has been vocal on the need for the Coast region to shift its support to President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto “for the sake of development.”
On Thursday, Ford-Kenya vowed to write to the Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u notifying her of the defections and demanding that the seats be declared vacant.
“The law stipulates that once you defect from the party on whose ticket you were elected, you automatically lose the seat and a by-election is called. That is what we are asking the registrar of Political Parties to do,” said Dr Simiyu.
-nation.co.ke
