Bomet URP leaders settle standoff over Jubilee merger

What you need to know:

  • Prof Lesan made the announcement at the Sotik Pastoral Catholic Centre, where URP members held a meeting to resolve the impasse.
  • Leaders had sharply differed over the issue, a move that led to the defection of some 500 party members to Chama Cha Mashinani.

United Republican Party (URP) leaders in Bomet County have finally resolved their weeklong standoff over who will attend the party’s convention in Nairobi.

Senator Wilfred Lesan said on Tuesday that the branch had agreed to send 20 delegates - four from each of the County’s five constituencies.

The constituencies are: Konoin, Chepalungu, Sotik, Bomet Central and Bomet East.

He further disclosed that five delegates, who had either defected from the party or given jobs by the County government, will be replaced.

“We will replace them with other delegates from their constituencies to avoid conflicts,” he said.

Prof Lesan made the announcement at the Sotik Pastoral Catholic Centre, where URP members held a meeting to resolve the impasse.

“What we can say is that Bomet people are in Jubilee coalition to stay. We also want to dispel rumours that some of our members defected to Governor Isaac Ruto’s led Chama Cha Mashinani. This is not true,” he added.

The meeting was attended by Sotik MP Joyce Laboso, Bomet Deputy governor Stephen Mutai, County Assembly Speaker Geoffrey Korir and former assistant Minister Beatrice Kones among other leaders.

“We are happy and excited that we will move on to the new party and I believe our party will be very strong,” Prof Lesan said.

A row had been brewing in the region over the selection of those to attend the convention.

Leaders had sharply differed over the issue, a move that led to the defection of some 500 party members to Chama Cha Mashinani.

The defectors claimed that some of them had been deliberately rigged out of the list.

They alleged that Deputy Governor Stephen Mutai had prepared the list single-handedly and included his political allies without consulting them.
They said the list neither represented the image of the county nor the interests of the party.