Governors, senators among over 90 leaders to ditch Jubilee Party

Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u, who said politicians who did not wish to stay in the Jubilee Party after it merged with other parties had 30 days to join other outfits. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Following the defection, Amani National Congress secretary-general Godfrey Otsosi said theirs is “now the party to watch”.
  • Chama Cha Mashinani party, Kanu and ODM also won a fair share of MCAs.
  • ODM gained its biggest number of MCAs from Western, while Kanu received leaders in the North Rift, especially from Baringo County.

Three governors, two senators, seven MPs and more than 80 county assembly members have quit the Jubilee Party.

Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC) was the biggest beneficiary of the defections after a governor, a deputy governor, three MPs and 55 MCAs, many of whom come from the western region, moved to the party.

The move now elevates ANC to the majority party in the Vihiga County Assembly and a minority party in Lamu, Kakamega, Nandi and Meru counties.

Other counties affected in this new shake-up are Migori, Bungoma and Wajir.

Following the defection, ANC secretary-general Godfrey Otsosi said theirs is “now the party to watch”.

“It is politically significant that ANC is the major beneficiary of new political and legal developments,” he said.

He added: “I also want to confirm that the party has also received numerous written expressions of interest by elected leaders within Cord and Jubilee to defend their seats in 2017 elections on [the] ANC ticket.”

ODM BIGGEST BENEFICIARY

Chama Cha Mashinani party, Kanu and ODM also won a fair share of MCAs. ODM gained its biggest number of MCAs from the western region, while Kanu received leaders in the North Rift, especially from Baringo County.

Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u, in phone interview, had told the Nation that politicians who did not wish to stay in Jubilee after it merged with other parties had 30 day to join other outfits.

Ms Ndung’u explained that since the Jubilee Party was launched on September 9, the window provided for in the law lapsed on Friday last week.

She had also indicated that those who had not resigned by then had effectively chosen to stay within Jubilee.

“I have received resignations from different parties which merged with the Jubilee Party. Anyone who doesn’t submit his application by today will remain ... a member of Jubilee,” she said by phone last Friday.