Jubilee Party rejects Maina Njenga's nomination papers

Jubilee Party has rejected nomination papers of former Mungiki leader and Laikipia senatorial aspirant Maina Njenga.

Officers at the party’s headquarters at Pangani, Nairobi, on Friday refused to receive the papers, citing integrity issues.

MUNGIKI

The secretariat asked him to first get clearance from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations indicating that he had indeed severed ties with the outlawed group as he claims.

“We have rejected his papers on integrity grounds," Mr Albert Memusi, party's director for campaign communication, told the Nation.

"Many issues have been brought to our attention about him and as a matter of procedure, he must clear his name and satisfy us that he has nothing to do with the criminal gang.”

Mr Memusi said the party would not hesitate to give Mr Njenga the green light to compete with other senate aspirants for Jubilee ticket as soon as he is given a clean bill of health.

AUDIT ISSUES

This is a serious setback for the man who has served a jail term in the past and also had long-running battle with security agencies for leading the group accused of committing heinous acts, especially in central Kenya.

But the party was quick to add that the same law would apply to other aspirants with pending cases or queries hanging overhead.

“There are governors and even MPs who have pending audit issues or are being investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. We will be asking such to first get clearance before submitting their nominations papers,” Mr Memusi added.

CHIEFS IN SOUP

Mr Njenga has vowed to unseat Senator GG Kariuki by all means, “including force”.

Signs that the former Mungiki leader was not welcome in the ruling party played out last weekend when it emerged that 30 chiefs were facing the sack for attending his meeting.

The chiefs and their assistants have since been given one week to show cause why they should not be fired.

In a letter from the office of Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho seen by the Nation, the administrators have been accused of misconduct.

They are accused of attending and taking part in political meetings and leading delegations from their areas of jurisdiction to Mr Maina’s residence.

ICC LINK

All JP aspirants have until Saturday, March 4, to pay their nomination fees to participate in the party primaries planned for between April 13 and 26.

The Mungiki has been blamed for the post-election chaos that rocked Kenya in 2007/2008 following a disputed presidential election.

When he announced his bid, Mr Njenga, a bishop at his Hope International Ministry in Kitengela, said he would tackle cattle rustling and banditry in the arid and semi-arid ounty.

Mr Njenga has had a dalliance with Opposition figurehead Raila Odinga and in June 2014, hosted the ODM leader at his Karen home after he narrowly escaped death in a hail of bullets.

He had attributed the May 2014 shooting to what he said was his refusal to file a statement in defence of President Kenyatta’s International Criminal Court (ICC) case.

President Kenyatta’s case has since been withdrawn due to lack of evidence.