Intense fight for new party slots exposes Jubilee’s soft underbelly

Internal fights between The National Alliance (TNA) and United Republican Party (URP) over the new list of officials threatens to snip away the momentum gained by the newly-formed Jubilee Party set to be launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta next month.

The President and his Deputy William Ruto, however, plan to scuttle any attempt by those angling for elective seats in the next General Election to be among the party officials when unveiling the interim office.

The merged parties are in particular tussling over who should take the positions of secretary-general and chairman — two slots whose holders will wield immense influence ahead of the polls.

The Jubilee Party is a product of a dozen outfits that will merge on September 10 at Kasarani Sports Complex, Nairobi.

The Sunday Nation has learnt that President Kenyatta’s TNA party is keen to keep the spokesperson’s office (Secretary-General) while Mr Ruto’s URP says that, since the new party is meant mainly to push for Mr Ruto’s presidential ambition after Mr Kenyatta retires from politics, he should be allowed to nominate the office holder. The party is said to have former Energy Cabinet Secretary Davies Chirchir in mind. As a tradition, secretaries-general sign nomination papers for election candidates.

MERGING 12 PARTIES

While the impression created in merging the 12 parties coalescing around the ruling alliance is that of a homogenous outfit, the political reality betrays this. Already, all the ethnic and regional blocs are insisting on a share of the influential seats. This, if not cautiously managed, could implode on the party.

JAP vice-chairman David Murathe says selection of those to steer the party for the next one year is the prerogative of the presidential duo.

He says this will lock out aspirants and sitting MPs from the line-up. “There is deep-rooted concern, a fair one for that matter, that they could use their positions to subdue competition,” Mr Murathe said, adding that the new team will “reflect the face of the country”.

The development dashes hopes of Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi’s supporters that he could be named chairman. Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are said to be crafting the list of officials since there will be no polls until after the General Election.

As part of a move to stem possible fallout, Mr Murungi told the Sunday Nation that colleagues who served in the steering committee on the merger, which he chaired, committed to serve in whatever positions they would be given. He has declared interest in Meru governor’s seat.

The proposal to exclude aspirants from holding party positions is also already being fought from within.

Some of the hopefuls met at Nairobi’s Serena Hotel two days ago to deliberate on how to enhance their chances of landing key positions.

There is, however, a concerted attempt to keep the vicious shoving away from the limelight. The fear, we are told, is that such reports could backfire on the schemers, since Mr Kenyatta and his deputy would not take the matter lightly.

With most of the other 10 parties either not having elected representatives in Parliament, or struggling to register a presence in the 24 counties as required by the Political Parties Act, there is a tacit agreement to share positions according to each outfit’s strengths. URP chairman and Fafi MP Elias Barre Shill sought to downplay the friction, saying a deliberate effort will be made to accommodate as many officials of the folding parties as possible.

“With President Kenyatta and DP William Ruto as party leader and deputy party leader, respectively, the rest will fall in place, one way or another. The whole idea is to have one monolithic party that endeavours to unite the country.”

FRESH LEADERS

TNA chairman Johnson Sakaja, one of the people being fronted for the SG position, denied having expressed interest in the position, saying there is a need to give fresh leaders an opportunity to serve in the new party.

“What is important is having a vibrant party that guarantees victory of the President next year,” he said.

The move to lock out aspirants could, however, see him miss out since he has declared interest in unseating Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero.

Huge alliances come with immense challenges, as political strategist Neha Saghal observes in her book, Running Opposition Alliance. “Opposition groups operate in a dense network of adversaries and allies. Their interaction with each other is central to how they device strategies in opposing the regime,” she writes.
The key argument is that leaders of such outfits who are in power have access to State resources with which they pacify renegade allies.

This explains cases of success by Jubilee to have politicians loyal to opposition chief Raila Odinga switch their allegiance. But the merger of parties may bring with it a different challenge for the ruling alliance, especially emanating from sibling rivalry. The opposition will also be lying in wait to crack open any fissures that arise from the merger.

A clause in the final report by the joint select committee on electoral reforms outlawing party-hopping for those who lose out in the nominations, submitted to Parliament on Thursday, has also attracted varied opinions — with both Jubilee and Cord being accused of conspiring to stifle democracy.

A showdown looms in Parliament over this proposal when the report comes up for debate and ratification. Jubilee hopes the clause will shield it from a potentially stormy nomination process.