Officials of six parties dissolved to form Jubilee have accused Deputy President William Ruto’s allies of staging a rebellion.
The leaders, who are part of the Jubilee National Advisory Council, on Tuesday said the DP troops were undermining President Uhuru Kenyatta’s agenda.
They threw their weight behind Uhuru, saying he is the de facto leader of the ruling party according to the Jubilee constitution.
“It is at the discretion of the party leader to decide the kind of leaders he wants to work with to help him deliver on the Jubilee manifesto,” they said in a joint statement.
The leaders maintained that the party constitution stipulates that secretary general Raphael Tuju is the Jubilee spokesperson.
“We can’t have two centres of power within the ruling party. Communication must emanate from one authority,” they said.
The statement was signed by Albert Nyaundi (Ford People), Hassan Osman (UDF), Benjamin Muema (New Ford Kenya), Said Ali (Republican Congress Party), Petkay Miriti (Unity Patriotic Party of Kenya) and Kalembe Ndile of Tip Tip.
The leaders warned DP’s allies against fuelling wars in the ruling party.
“The leadership of the Jubilee rests squarely in the hands of President Uhuru Kenyatta who is the undisputed party leader. The party leader should be given space to steer the party,” the statement read in part.
Nyaundi said, “What we are seeing are sponsored machinations aimed at undermining the leadership of the President. When we merged, we all agreed that the President would be the de facto leader.”
He asked Ruto’s allies to come clean on their real intentions.
“The President has a vision for the party. All of us serving under him must work tirelessly to support the realisation of his agenda,” the official said.
Osman said the DP must stop his theatrics and take up his job as deputy party leader instead of using henchmen to undermine the President.
“The Jubilee Party constitution is clear that the party leader would offer leadership to realise the vision of the party. No one should try to undermine the direction of the party leader,” he told the Star.
Osman said the ‘sponsored’ wrangles in the ruling party are unfortunate.
“All over the world, political parties are as strong as the leaders. You cannot isolate the President from the leadership of the party,” he said.
Jubilee has been roiled by wrangles following a move to change the leadership of the party’s National Management Committee, a critical organ with sweeping powers to oversee internal affairs.
Lucy Nyawira, Marete Marangu, Walter Nyambati, Jane Nampaso and James Waweru replaced Fatuma Shukri, Pamela Mutua and Veronica Maina.
The DP wing has objected to the changes to NMC, forcing the Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu to order the party to resolve the matter internally.
