Formation of the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) by ruling coalition partners ( TNA and URP) has sparked off clashing opinions among key political heavyweights in the coalition. Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, who doubles up as chairman of the Council of Governors (CoG) wants President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto both of whom sanctioned the formation of the new party, to resign and seek fresh mandate following the formation of the new outfit. “They are not supposed to promote a new political party before resigning from their current political parties and that is exactly what they are doing in Kajiado County. It is time they resign and seek fresh mandate from the electorate,” said Ruto. Similarly, vocal Mandera County Senator, Billow Kerrow, hit out at Jubilee coalition leaders for “setting up a new political party secretly, with the aim of winding up TNA and URP”, without the involvement of members. “It is disheartening to say the least, and clearly unfair for the coalition leaders to create the so-called Jubilee Alliance Party without any form of consultation with the parliamentarians or coalition party officials. How can Jubilee ignore its members and expect us to be herded into a new outfit? Is their action not the type of dictatorship that we blame the Opposition coalition for?” protested Kerrow in a statement to newsrooms. But National Assembly Majority Leader, Aden Duale defended the move to form JAP arguing it was a step in the right direction in preparation for the 2017 elections and that the move would unite Kenyans as well as avoid leadership vacuum in the two parties. See also: Mixed reactions greet announced TNA-URP merger Speaking at Ol Rarinyiro Secondary School in Laikipia County on Friday, Duale said they would now embark on strengthening the party at the grassroots as well as creating good party structures. “This is a move aimed at moving the leadership of the Jubilee alliance forward. We will no longer have party wrangles in the alliance and that is why we created this party,” he said. Governor Ruto expressed shock and dismay at the move: “We are shocked that our party leaders have gone out of their way and formed a new outfit contrary to the Political Parties Act and as law abiding Kenyans we will push for their resignation so that we do not set wrong culture in the country where the law is breached haphazardly.” “As URP leaders we are in the dark on the same and we do not know where we are as founding members of the parties which are being dissolved secretly,” said Ruto. He added: “We are lost as members of URP since we were not consulted and we are going to take up the matter seriously.” Ruto also took a swipe at the DP saying he had failed by not calling members to meetings to discuss pertinent matters and for side-stepping party structures, which should be respected.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 22:47:02 +0000
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