Five teams formed to pick top JAP leaders ahead of elections

Political parties affiliated to the Jubilee Alliance have formed five teams to thrash out the contentious issue of how to pick top leaders of the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP).

The more than 10 parties present during a meeting at a Nairobi hotel agreed to form a formidable coalition that will see the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto in 2017.

According to Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua, who was elected the communication chairperson in the steering committee, their biggest task at the moment is to elect top leaders who will lead the party to prosperity.

“We are trying to look at the leadership of the outfit but we are optimistic we will work it out soon,” he said in an interview with the Sunday Nation.

During the meeting, five committees were formed, among them those that will deal with financial and administrative matters, mobilisation, legal affairs, strategy and communication.

A FORMIDABLE MACHINE
Mr Gachagua, however, said a meeting of all senators, governors, MCAs, Members of Parliament and other officials of the Jubilee Alliance is under way to deliberate on ways of choosing the top leaders.

Said Mr Gachagua: “We are confident that, with the way we are moving, and if we put all these parties together, we will be a formidable machine; we cannot be beaten!”

Reliable sources present during the meeting said there was a big problem on how the parties would share national positions, with the United Republican Party (URP) claiming it was being undermined despite forming the largest share of JAP.

“Every time we hold a meeting, we are unable to come up with a way to elect the top leaders. This is because some of the parties like URP and TNA always claim they are being short-changed. It is time we resolved this matter once and for all since time is running out,” he said.

However, Mr Gachagua said there were no wrangles among the parties forming the Jubilee coalition, adding that those that seem to be there are creations of the media.

The Jubilee coalition affiliate parties have until December to fold up and lead their members to JAP.

MERGING CONSTITUTIONS

The GNU secretary-general said they are on the right track to bring as many parties together as possible, so that come end of December, they will be able to launch JAP at the Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani.

“We will come up with a strong party that will be able to face our opponents without fear and win the majority seats both in the Senate and the National Assembly,” he said.

The ruling coalition has set up a 30-member National Steering Committee led by Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi and former Cabinet minister Noah Wekesa to oversee the transition.

Key constituent parties of the ruling coalition — among them TNA, URP, Ford Kenya, the Alliance Party popularly known as the Bus, the Republican Council, GNU, Ford People and Ford Kenya, among others — have until December this year to close shop and lead their members into JAP. Mr Gachagua is the GNU secretary-general.

He said he would convene a meeting of all his party members next week and officially inform them of the plan to join JAP and the benefits expected.

He said the other parties are also expected to do the same so that the steering committee, which has been tasked with harmonising the constitutions of the affiliate parties, organises a delegates’ congress in December.