Parties in disarray 13 days to deadline for giving in papers

With only 13 days left to the deadline for parties to meet conditions for registration, many political organisations are reeling under a cloud of confusion and feuds.

Two leaders who could turn out to be top presidential contenders are technically party-less, while others are involved in factional fighting as they position themselves for the coming elections.

While the tussle between Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his deputy Musalia Mudavadi in ODM has played out publicly for months now, the revelation of cracks in Eldoret North MP William Ruto’s United Republican Party was something of a surprise.

Mr Ruto’s G7 alliance partner Uhuru Kenyatta has left his supporters wallowing in even more confusion and anxiety after being kicked out as Kanu chairman at the weekend.

Mr Kenyatta and Mr Mudavadi have left everyone guessing as to their next move, while Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto are waiting for the impact of the wrangles and possible fallouts in their respective parties.

Mr Odinga’s ODM is facing the likely exit of Mr Mudavadi who will be the third ‘Pentagon’ member to leave after Mr Ruto and former Tourism Minister Najib Balala. This could also deny Mr Odinga a crucial western Kenya voting bloc as he seeks the presidency.

On Tuesday, Mr Mudavadi said he was still concentrating on his campaigns and “consulting widely” after which, he will make known his plans. He is being driven out by a dispute over a clause in the constitution that, unless repealed, bars him from seeking the party’s presidential ticket.

Matters boiled over last week when the party applied for registration before the clause could be amended as had been recommended by a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Mr Mudavadi and his allies boycotted the function, saying, the decision undermined democracy and the spirit of competition within the party.

Mr Odinga, who has previously defended Mr Mudavadi’s democratic right to challenge him for the party’s presidential ticket finally appeared to lose his patience on Friday when he accused his deputy of intimidating and threatening the ODM leadership to change the party’s constitution.

“Amendment of a party constitution needs to be done in a sober, free and democratic manner. It should not be done under threats and intimidation. Intimidating people is itself, of course, the highest manifestation of dictatorship.

“Let Kenyans judge for themselves who is being high-handed and dictatorial in this matter,” said a hard-hitting statement signed by Mr Barrack Muluka, the director of communications at Mr Odinga’s campaign secretariat. 

Mr Mudavadi has since held three meetings with a cross-section of political leaders outside ODM over the last one week, fuelling speculation that he could be considering ditching the Orange party altogether.

He first met New Ford Kenya leaders Soita Shitanda and Dr Boni Khalwale at his Riverside Drive residence in Nairobi.

On Monday, Mr Mudavadi held talks with former Cabinet Minister Najib Balala, Planning assistant minister Peter Kenneth and former Trade Minister Mukhisa Kituyi at the Serena Hotel.

And on Tuesday, Mr Mudavadi hosted MPs from Western Province to a breakfast meeting at the Southern Sun/Mayfair Hotel to discuss his political future.

MPs who attended the meeting revealed that Mr Mudavadi made it clear that he would contest the presidency during the forthcoming General Election.

The MPs asked Mr Mudavadi to ditch ODM if he was to realise his presidential ambitions, a suggestion the Local Government Minister appeared to fully embrace.

And in Kanu, even after Mr Kenyatta’s exit, the troubles are yet to end, with the latest being the mass resignation of its staff at its Nairobi headquarters on Monday. Most of those who resigned are allied to Mr Kenyatta and were said to have made the decision following Saturday’s NDC.

The independence party is seeking fresh registration today after meeting the requirements of the Political Parties Act, according to its secretary-general Nick Salat. Mr Salat and Kanu interim chairman Gideon Moi were waiting for Mr Kenyatta to return the party certificate before submitting their papers.

“We will get a copy of the certificate from the registrar because our former chairman says that he cannot find the other one. But we will definitely submit our papers on Wednesday,” Mr Salat said.

Kanu is also said to be facing another hurdle revolving around its premises in Nairobi, with the landlord said to be insisting that the new officials sign a lease with him as the agreement was between him and Mr Kenyatta.

But Mr Salat, while admitting there is a hitch with the lease agreement, says this is a matter that will be handled soon and should not worry Kanu members.

“The former chairman was never available to sign the lease, but now we have new office-bearers, who can handle the matter,” Mr Salat told the Nation.

According to Mr Kenyatta’s spokesman Munyori Buku, the DPM will be making his new party public next Monday.

But the most surprising wrangles are those in Mr Ruto’s party as they involve his closest allies Belgut MP Charles Keter and his Chepalungu counterpart Issac Rutto. Sources within the party have indicated that the two are involved in supremacy battles in the South Rift.

There appeared nothing wrong with URP until reports emerged that Mr Keter was uncomfortable with Mr Rutto’s move to replace the party’s founding officials with his allies. Mr Keter boycotted Monday’s presentation compliance papers.

Mr Rutto said on Monday that there were no differences between him and Mr Keter that were a threat to the unity of the party. But two MPs from Rift Valley and members of the party — Joshua Kutuny and David Koech — have confirmed that there are differences between their colleagues.

“Charles (Keter) has been a key founding member of URP and he cannot be side-lined or taken for granted. However, all of us must face these issues with sobriety in ensuring that we stick to the party agenda of forming the next government,” Mr Kutuny, who also skipped the Monday date with the registrar, said.

While pointing an accusing finger at Mr Rutto, Mr Kutuny called for an amicable solution to the matter.

Mr Koech said the wrangles in URP were minor and can be solved in-house.

“If some people are engaged in turf wars in the South Rift, that does not mean the party is breaking. Those are small issues they can solve,” Mr Koech said.

However, there is also concern that Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo was engaging in lone ranger tactics in seeking the party’s presidential ticket. Mr Jirongo has been addressing campaign rallies around the country. Mr Koech accused the Lugari MP of impatience and said his premature campaigns may be misinterpreted.

He said the fact that Jirongo had been campaigning alone had led some people to speculate that there was a rift between him and other leaders in the party.