• Nyakera says he resigned after realising that the party has its “owners” who were not ready for change and focused more on seeking state appointments.
• But it also emerges the party through its secretary general Jacob Haji had written a show cause letter to Nyakera over absenteeism from meetings without apology.
Image: EUTYCAS MUCHIRI
Former Transport PS Irungu Nyakera has resigned as the Democratic Party deputy party leader and as a member.
In an undated letter addressed to the party’s secretary general Jacob Haji and copied to the Registrar of Political Parties seen by the Star, Nyakera said he resigned after realising the party has its “owners” who were not ready for change.
His resignation, he said, was despite having made various achievements since he joined the party.
Some of the achievements he listed include the creation of a strategy team tasked with coming up with DP's strategic positioning paper; putting together DP's proposals to the Building Bridges Initiative and bringing together like-minded professionals and politicians to discuss party and national matters.
Others were recruiting "many progressive leaders" to the party, some who are serving in the National Executive Council, fighting for tea farmers and selling this as a DP agenda, among others.
DP through Nyakera, party chairman Esau Kioni and deputy secretary general Wambugu Nyamu played a key role in fighting for the new tea regulations that were recently signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
But Nyakera accused the party leadership of focusing more on seeking state appointments for themselves and their kin and as a result avoiding any action that would make DP appear to be anti-government.
“This was obviated by several press statements issued by DP chairman supporting government programmes that had not even been endorsed by NEC such as BBI,” Nyakera said.
He stated that when he joined DP in 2019, he hoped he had joined a revolutionary party that once carried the dream of fighting for multiparty democracy, thus endearing itself to Kenyans.
“It is owing to my personal convictions and faith in the party organs that I endeavored to play a key role in rebranding of DP and communicating DPs renewed value proposition to Kenyans,” the letter read in part.
He called on fellow NEC members led by the party leader, the chairman and the secretary general to also resign to allow DP to reposition itself into what former President Mwai Kibaki would have wanted to see in the party.
Kibaki was one of the founders of the party through which he vied for president in 1992 and 1997.
“With the current leadership remaining in place, you can be certain that DP will continue to be referred to as the “Dead Party”,” he said.
It, however, also emerged that secretary general Jacob Haji had written a show cause letter to Nyakera on January 6 over absenteeism from meetings without apology.
Haji in the letter copied to the Registrar of Political Parties said Nyakera’s performance as acting deputy party leader was a subject of discussion and scrutiny during a management committee meeting on November 30, 2020.
“First, we do note with gratitude that soon after the appointment, you appeared quite full of vigor and promising, but shortly thereafter your performance in promoting the interests of the party regrettably began to dwindle below the expectations of the party,” Haji’s letter said.
He noted that Nyakera has missed three management meetings consecutively and without apology.
This, as per the party constitution, was a basis for removal from the NEC.
“Before the party takes appropriate action, you are requested to show cause why you should not relinquish the position of Ag. Deputy Party Leader – operations within seven days, failure to which the party will proceed to take the necessary action without any further reference to you,” the letter said.
Edited by EKibii