No fresh registration for new Jubilee Party

Wananchi mill around some of the vehicles branded with Jubilee colours at the party’s new headquarters in Pangani, Nairobi, on September 7, 2016. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  BERNARD NAMUNANE

What you need to know:

  • Jubilee Alliance Party to be dissolved on Thursday and renamed the Jubilee Party
  • JAP delegates would hold two National Delegates’ Conferences to pass resolutions dissolving the party and renaming it the Jubilee Party.
  • The resolutions by the delegates will pave the way for Friday’s meeting of all delegates from the 13 parties, which would have dissolved at Safaricom Kasarani Stadium.
  • On Saturday, the Jubilee Party will be formally launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta, the party leader.

The new Jubilee Party that will be launched on Saturday will not be a freshly registered entity, after all.

On Wednesday, sources within the affiliate parties explained that the Jubilee Alliance Party, which was launched last year, will be dissolved on Thursday and renamed the Jubilee Party during the National Delegates’ Conference at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi.

It was explained that leaders of the 13 parties, which will dissolve, settled on renaming the JAP to avoid the legal pitfalls that would have required the party to remain moribund for at least six months.

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“That is the reason it was agreed that JAP is renamed as Jubilee Party to avoid the requirement of being non-functional for six months. It could have been very costly to the President and his deputy,” explained a source.

The source explained that JAP delegates would hold two NDCs, one after the other, to pass resolutions dissolving the party and renaming it the Jubilee Party.

1,200 DELEGATES EXPECTED

“They will also pass a resolution to change the interim officials, the party symbols, slogan and colours to those of Jubilee Party,” said another source.

The resolutions by the delegates will pave the way for Friday’s meeting of all delegates from the 13 parties, which would have dissolved at Safaricom Kasarani Stadium during which they will be addressed by Deputy President William Ruto, who is also the deputy party leader.

At least 12,000 delegates are expected at the event.

On Saturday, the Jubilee Party will be formally launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta, the party leader. “The President will also announce the officials of the party, its colours, symbol, slogan and structure,” said a source.

On Wednesday, President Kenyatta met chairmen and secretaries general of the 13 parties at State House to sort out the controversial issue of interim National Executive Committee (NEC) members.

“It was agreed that until the new officials are announced on Saturday, Jubilee Party has only two officials—the President as the party leader and Mr Ruto as the deputy party leader,” said a source close to the meeting.

The President and Mr Ruto were said to be unhappy with some leaders, who were circulating lists of officials yet no decision has been made on that.

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