Kenneth, Tuju to hold joint nominations

The two parties associated with presidential hopefuls Peter Kenneth and Raphael Tuju will hold joint nominations to pick the presidential candidate and the running mate.

A pre-election agreement seen by the Nation says that each of the two parties, Mr Kenneth’s Kenya National Congress (KNC) and Mr Tuju’s Party of Action (POA) shall nominate their preferred candidates who will then be subjected to a joint nomination through secret ballot.

Mr Kenneth and Mr Tuju sealed the deal at the Mayfair Hotel in Nairobi on Tuesday after an expected coalition agreement with United Democratic Forum (UDF) presidential candidate Musalia Mudavadi failed to materialize.

According to the agreement, the candidate who wins the joint nomination will become the coalition’s presidential candidate while the runner-up will be the running mate.

The agreement further provides that each partner shall pick candidates to run for parliamentary, senate, county assembly and civic elections who shall then be subjected to a joint nomination to pick the coalition’s candidate.

“Nomination of Candidates under sub regulation (e) shall be distributed in an equal and transparent manner between the Coalition Partners,” it states.

The agreement is however silent on the post of leader of majority or minority party in Parliament.

The coalition shall be run by a six-member executive committee distributed equally between the partners.

The committee shall be charged with formulating, propagating and implementing the policies of the coalition as well as overseeing its day to day activities.

It shall also hear and determine all disputes arising out of the coalition.

Under the agreement, the two parties undertake to consolidate their financial resources and logistical capacities in order to mount a formidable campaign ahead of the general election.

The parties also undertake to share positions in government should the coalition win the election.

They also undertake to establish coalition structures, policy and legal framework and to ensure that they fully participate in government, local and international organizations.

The agreement further states that the two parties shall put in place mechanisms and structures to ensure that the coalition is sustained beyond the elections by participating in appointments to the public service, international organizational and any other networks.

The parties promise to offer Kenyans a transparent, accountable and democratic government that is sensitive to the needs of the people should they win the elections.