Jubilee party leaders discuss framework of the merger

What you need to know:

  • Steering committee chairman Noah Wekesa said the three-hour closed door meeting at La Mada Hotel on Thika Road, Nairobi had more than 40 leaders.
  • They will hold a national delegates conference between September 8 and 10 at Kasarani stadium and expect 100,000 people.
  • Senator Kipchumba Murkomen likened their conference to the American democratic and republican conferences and said that this will be the way to go in how elections should be conducted.

Jubilee Alliance coalition leaders met on Thursday to discuss the framework on the merger to form the new Jubilee party.

Jubilee’s national steering committee said they have agreed TNA party will get the lion’s share in distribution of delegates and appointment of party positions with 1,500 positions. URP will get 1,000. The rest will be distributed among other parties forming the merger.

There may be 77 national positions and 7,000 delegates countrywide.

Steering committee chairman Noah Wekesa said the three-hour closed door meeting at La Mada Hotel on Thika Road, Nairobi had more than 40 leaders.

“We agreed that everything we do will be within the law and nothing will be done that contravenes the political parties Act,” he said.

“Possibly, we might have a party comprised of 14 parties but the number may rise as others are still registering,” he added.

Committee co-chairman Kiraitu Murungi said the party will have a new logo, colours and emblem.

He said they had only dropped the name “Alliance” so as to have the Jubilee party in time.

They will hold a national delegates conference between September 8 and 10 at Kasarani stadium and expect 100,000 people.

Mr Kiraitu said: “We are going to hold a politically earth-shaking event. It will be the biggest political convention this country has ever had.”

He said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto will be the party chairman and deputy chairman respectively, but other positions remain to be filled.

He said on the first day of the conference, all delegates will congregate in various places in Nairobi to pass resolutions for the merger. “On the second day, they will all meet at Kasarani where leaders from Kenya and the international community will attend.”

The grand finale will be on the third day after which work will start on mass recruitment of voters.

Senator Kipchumba Murkomen likened their conference to the American democratic and republican conferences and said that this will be the way to go in how elections should be conducted.

He said the nominations will be conducted by IEBC and will be free, fair and open to all.

“All of us including those privileged to be in the steering committee don’t have a preferred position in terms of tickets or nominations. There will be no direct ticket for anyone,” he said.

“We have recognised that despite the fact that we midwifed this process, we must open space for competition by everyone,” Mr Murkomen said.