Tribunal throws out plaint by Ruto allies

The Political Parties Tribunal has thrown out an application challenging the changes in Jubilee Party’s National management Committee (NMC), saying it has no jurisdiction to hear the matter.

In a ruling delivered late Friday, the tribunal said the application filed by the party’s deputy Secretary-General Caleb Kositany was premature and dismissed it on the grounds that it has no jurisdiction to hear disputes in which internal party mechanisms had not been exhausted.

The details of the proceedings were revealed by Secretary-General Raphael Tuju in a post on his Twitter handle.

“The Tribunal says the complaint is premature and it does not have jurisdiction on premature complaints,” Mr Tuju posted.

Mr Kositany and Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika had filed an application to the tribunal challenging the Gazette Notice of April 6 showing that the Registrar of Political Parties had effected changes to the party’s NMC.

The notice showed that Lucy Nyawira Macharia, Marete Marangu, Walter Nyambati, Jane Nampaso, and James Waweru had been picked to serve the NMC, triggering protests by Deputy President William Ruto and his allies.

Meanwhile, Mr Kositany, who is the spokesman of the Ruto-leaning Jubilee side, has protested the move to subject five nominated Jubilee senators to a disciplinary committee.

DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

The five face possible expulsion from the ruling party for skipping the parliamentary group meeting at State House in Nairobi on Monday.

Mr Kositany termed the show-cause letters sent to the five senators discriminatory.

“In my view, the letters are discriminatory against the referenced senators since more than 20 senators openly took a position similar to theirs, as they are entitled to,” said Mr Kositany.

“As you are also aware, some of our members openly campaigned against our candidate in the Kibra by-election last year against the position of the party, and your office did not summon them or issue them with letters to show cause,” said the legislator in a protest letter to party chairman Nelson Dzuya.

At the same time, more of the legislators in the DP’s camp have come out to pledge loyalty to President Uhuru Kenyatta amid the ongoing purge.

In a statement on Friday, Nominated Senator Waqo Naomi Jillo said she was unable to travel to Nairobi to attend the State House meeting because of “unavoidable circumstances that Jubilee Party is aware of”.

Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju said the expulsion process was now in the hands of the disciplinary committee.

“... Whatever excuse anybody has, let them address them with the committee because at the moment we are powerless and can’t do anything,” said Mr Tuju.

APOLOGY LETTER

Ms Jillo’s loyalty pledge came after her colleague Christine Zawadi wrote to Senate Majority Chief Whip Irungu Kang’ata apologising for skipping the meeting.

On Friday, Mr Kang’ata said he would forward Ms Jillo’s letter to the disciplinary committee “with my substantive comments”.

In her statement, Ms Jillo wrote: “I am currently in Marsabit County assisting in the fight against Covid 19... In light of the recent political goings-on, I would like to state that my loyalty lies with our Head of State and Party Leader, His Excellency President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta.

“I communicated my apology and it was duly registered during the May 11, 2020 parliamentary group meeting and I stand by the resolutions adopted during the meeting,” she added.

She told off her political detractors for trying to “drive a wedge between His Excellency the President and myself”.

The other senators are Millicent Omanga, Iman Falhada Dekow, Victor Prengei and Mary Yiane Seneta.

Earlier, Mr Tuju had issued a warning to the senators: “If they have any illusions that we will make the mistakes made by ODM and ANC with respect to unsuccessful expulsion of some of their members, we have learnt our lesson and are going to follow due process.”

— Additional reporting by Ibrahim Oruko