Ruto will not form another party, Kositany now says

Soy MP Caleb Kositany has ruled out the formation of a political party ahead of 2022, insisting that Deputy President William Ruto will be the Jubilee presidential candidate.

He said the fight in the ruling party has nothing to do with the DP’s ambitions.

Mr Kositany said those entrusted with running Jubilee must respect the party constitution and that their demands that party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju consults other organs should not be mistaken for the DP’s battle for State House.

“We’ve been telling Tuju to obey the constitution of the party and that of the land. Tuju has been running the party in a casual way and this has to stop,” the Soy lawmaker told the Nation Tuesday. 

“We’ve no plans of forming another party. Calling for sanity in Jubilee has nothing to do with 2022,” he said, adding, only the DP had shown interest in contesting the presidency on the Jubilee ticket. Party nominations will be free and fair and nobody will be locked out, Mr Kositany said.

Even with the cracks in the party, he said, the DP and his allies do not regret disbanding the United Republic Party (URP) during the formation of Jubilee in 2016.

“URP was a tribal outfit. We wanted a party that could unite the country. In fact, we should enhance our democracy by having only two or three parties,” he said.

Mr Kositany added that President Kenyatta has no powers to unilaterally form a coalition of Jubilee and another party.

“Wishful thinking has no place in Jubilee. One person cannot make a decision on behalf of more than eight million party members. Those talking about a coalition with the Orange Democratic Movement or Kanu should just walk out of the Jubilee. Managing coalitions is very expensive and time wasting,” Mr Kositany said.

 Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru recently said a government of national unity that would bring ODM leader Raila Odinga even closer to the Jubilee administration is in the offing. “Once the President shook hands with Mr Odinga on March 9, 2018, it was just a matter of time before that was actualised for the benefit of the nation,” she said.

Some Ruto supporters in the Rift Valley, like Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono, have been urging him to take control of the party.

“Under no circumstances will we leave Jubilee. We created it and will fight for our position. Any disagreement will be sorted out,” Mr Rono said.

Nandi Senator Samson Cheragei asked the DP to protect the party from “outsiders”.

“They want to wreck Jubilee and curtail his chances of becoming president,” he told the Nation recently.

According to Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, there is a “misplaced” plot to push for the revival of URP so as to divide Jubilee even more, especially in the Rift Valley.

He described it as “fake news” sponsored by opponents to split Jubilee and spoil the DP’s chances of succeeding the President.

In an April 6 Gazette notice, Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu said Jubilee intended to change its officials. The new party officials list caused jitters among Ruto allies, who claimed it was a plot to eject him from the party.

In the gazette notice, Ms Nderitu lists the new National Management Committee officials as Lucy Nyawira Macharia, Prof Marete Marangu, former Kitutu Masaba MP Walter Nyambati, Jane Nampaso and James Waweru.

The team is in charge of the day-to-day management of the party alongside the National Executive Committee.

The DP has also protested the intended change of Jubilee National Management Committee which he has termed illegal and fraudulent.

However, the Tanga Tanga brigade breathed a sigh of relief after Ms Nderitu wrote to Mr Tuju, forwarding the objections and ordering resolution of the issues the members raised in their demand for the process to be halted.

She noted that the issues must be addressed in accordance with the party's constitution, the Political Parties Act and the conclusion filed with her office.