Mudavadi seeks mediation in row with Jubilee team

Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi’s United Democratic Forum has written to the registrar of political parties demanding redress over last week’s acrimonious fallout in the Jubilee coalition.

In a letter addressed to Ms Lucy Ndung’u, UDF chairman Hassan Osman accuses their former coalition partners The National Alliance and  United Republican Party of breaching a coalition agreement jointly signed by the three parties on December 4.

UDF’s decision could further strain the relationship between Mr Kenyatta and Mr Mudavadi after an embarrassing fallout over an unhonoured private deal in which the TNA leader was to step down for Mr Mudavadi.

In the agreement, Mr Ruto was to be Mr Mudavadi’s running mate while Mr Kenyatta was allocated the majority leader’s slot in the National Assembly.

On Monday, Mr Osman confirmed that he wrote to Ms Ndung’u asking for her guidance over what he termed as blatant breach of the law by the two parties.

“We refer to the above matter and nomination of Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate on 23 December 2012. We wish to bring to your attention that our party (UDF) did not participate in our nomination process,” read the letter dated December 24.

Mr Osman went further to notify the registrar of the existence of some dispute on the process of nomination saying that affiliate parties had differed over whether to conduct the process through consensus or delegates.

The UDF team is accusing their URP and TNA counterparts of moving ahead with the nomination even before all the available dispute resolution mechanisms had been exhausted and are now calling for mediation.

Dispute resolution

“Further note that there exists a Dispute Resolution Mechanism as contained in the Jubilee Coalition Agreement which has not been exhausted. The purpose of this letter is to seek your direction and guidance arising from the above. We wait for your necessary action,” Mr Osman said in his letter.

The letter is also copied to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman and chairmen of URP and TNA.

Mr Osman told the Nation that UDF would battle for justice over the matter, adding that people who want to lead must be prepared to follow the law.

By last evening, Ms Ndung’u said she had not received  the letter. She told the Nation she had taken a break from duty and that the letter would be acted on later if received by her office.

“The first step by the wrangling coalition should have been to resort to the internal mechanisms as created by the agreement itself. When we pick on the matter we will seek to investigate whether the mechanisms were followed,” she said.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto appeared on a radio talk show where they castigated Mr Mudavadi for declining to compete for the Jubilee ticket through a democratic process.

Reacting to the letter by the UDF, The National Alliance secretary general Onyango Oloo described the action as malicious and one influenced by ill motives.

“Our exit from the coalition agreement with UDF was within the content of the agreement itself. We were thoroughly frustrated by them,” he said.

Mr Mudavadi on Monday asked Kenyans to vote in honest leaders in the coming elections. Speaking at Maua Methodist church where he attended a funeral service for the son of a Njuri Ncheke chairman, Mr Mudavadi asked Kenyans to shun tribal leaders.