TNA, URP open parallel Jubilee offices in Nandi
President Uhuru Kenyatta hands the certificate of nomination to Kajiado Central Parliamentary candidate Patrick ole Tutui at the headquarters of the Jubilee Alliance Party in Nairobi on February 13, 2015. FILE PHOTO |
What you need to know:
- Supremacy battle shaping up as officials fight to call the shots in the political outfit.
- Five lawmakers skip meeting called to formalise merger plans in Kapsabet Town.
A rift has emerged between the United Republican Party and The National Alliance officials who have formed parallel Jubilee Alliance Party offices in Nandi County.
The two parties merged and formed JAP, which has been rocked by supremacy battles. On Saturday, Nandi TNA leaders held a stormy meeting in which they accused URP officials of locking out of a meeting that formalised the merger two weeks ago.
Nandi TNA chairman Samuel Murigerita, who chaired the meeting in Kapsabet, expressed outrage. He accused the URP leadership of disrespecting them.
He protested that despite TNA producing President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2013 elections, URP leaders in Nandi have sidelined them. Mr Murigerita said they would not play second fiddle.
TNA officials subsequently opened a new JAP office near Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Kapsabet, two weeks after URP also opened another next to Kapsabet Boys High School.
“TNA leaders were not consulted when the URP party leaders opened their office. We were locked out of the meeting called by our partners by URP,” said Mr Murigerita.
TNA leaders asked officials to report to the new office near the Kipchoge Keino Stadium, saying they have the blessings of the headquarters in Nairobi.
URP ZONE
Nandi URP chairman Sammy Choge and the area executive officer, Mr David Kemboi, two weeks ago held a meeting in Kapsabet.
Aldai MP Cornelius Serem, former civic leader Charles Tanui and Woman representative Ms Zipporah Kering attended the meeting. They announced that URP officials had ditched the party to focus on JAP.
Mr Choge said Nandi County is a URP zone and its leaders would not go against a directive by their leader and Deputy President William Ruto’s to join JAP.
Mr Charles Tanui asked the Kalenjin community to rally behind Mr Ruto and also to support President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2017 General Election.
Interestingly, five MPs from Nandi County skipped the meeting. They included Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), Elijah Lagat (Chesumei), Julius Meli (Tindiret), Alex Kosgey (Emgwen) and Kirwa Bitok (Mosop).
Nandi Senator Stephen Sang vowed that the transformation of URP and TNA into the Jubilee alliance would go ahead and he died claims that there were no consultations.
Meanwhile, leaders in the South Rift region will hold a series of rallies to popularise JAP. National Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso (Sotik) said, thereafter, grassroots elections would be held.
Dr Joyce Laboso said the polls would enable Jubilee to become a formidable outfit.
The announcement comes barely three weeks after President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto toured the Bomet where they urged South Rift residents to embrace the new party.
