Parties fail to resolve Jubilee row, talks to resume Wednesday

The parties to the Jubilee Coalition including an estranged partner have failed to resolve a row that has rocked the alliance.

The National Alliance (TNA), the United Republican Party (URP) and the United Democratic Forum (UDF) met at the Registrar of Political Parties office for two hours Monday but emerged without any agreement.

UDF’s secretary-general Dan Ameyo read a brief statement after the meeting saying they had “ventilated on the outstanding issues raised” and a new round of talks will take place Wednesday.

“We have looked at the outstanding issues and we have scheduled another meeting on January 2 at 2pm,” he said outside the Registrar’s office at Anniversary Towers. The meeting was chaired by RPP Lucy Ndung’u.

TNA was represented by party chairman Johnson Sakaja and secretary-general Onyango Oloo, URP chairman Francis ole Kaparo and Davis Chirchir, the party’s secretary-general attended as UDF sent its chairman Hassan Osman alongside Mr Ameyo.  

The officials met for two hours but refused to comment on what had unfolded only saying they would deliver a detailed statement after the Wednesday meeting.

“We will tell you about what transpired on Wednesday,” Mr Kaparo said when pressed.

Last week, UDF wrote to the Registrar raising issues about the National Delegates Conference called by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA and Mr William Ruto’s URP on December 23.

The NDC held at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani endorsed Mr Kenyatta as the coalition presidential candidate and Mr Ruto his running mate.

Mr Kenyatta disowned a secret deal between UDF's Musalia Mudavadi and himself that would have seen the former drop his presidential bid and support the latter. Mr Kenyatta said he was coerced by "dark forces" into signing the agreement.

Mr Osman said in a letter to Ms Ndung’u that there was a misunderstanding between the partners on how the nomination ought to have been conducted and that the emerging disagreements had not been handled wholesomely within the coalition. 

“There exists a misunderstanding as to how the nomination of the presidential candidate ought to be conducted; whether by consensus or through delegates.

"Further, note that there exists a dispute resolution mechanism in the Jubilee Coalition agreement, which has not been exhausted,” Mr Osman said in the letter to Ms Ndung’u on Christmas Day.