- Supporters of Murang'a senator aspirant Kagwanja have accused the party of favouring his rival, Gitura.
- Kagwanja is said to have registered his concerns with the panel when he was summoned on Thursday.
Supporters of Murang'a senator aspirant Peter Kagwanja have accused Jubilee Party of favouring his rival, Kembi Gitura, during tickets' issuance talks.
The supporters said the panel formed by the party to handle party issues in Murang'a county seems to be geared towards issuing the ticket to the former senator.
Last week, the party held consensus talks with aspirants from the county in a bid to decide who would be given the tickets, with many expressing disappointment with the process.
It is said the party conducted its own survey using administrators to determine who was more popular and avoid conducting party primaries.
But Ngugi Mburu questioned how administrators conducted the survey yet residents have not been engaged.
Ngugi said the panel that is being led by Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia is not undertaking the process in the right way and that aspirants were not well prepared for it.
"Aspirants were just told that a panel had been formed and that it had the membership of administrators, but they did not know what to expect," Ngugi said.
Kagwanja is said to have registered his concerns with the panel when he was summoned on Thursday and announced that he would wait for the verdict of the party leader, President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The panel also has the membership of Murang'a Woman Representative Sabina Chege, Interior Chief Administrative Secretary Winnie Guchu, Murang'a county commissioner Karuku Ngumo and Sally Omwoyo, a party representative.
Ngugi asked why the party denied Nakuru Woman Representative aspirant Ann Ngirita a ticket over her incrimination in graft and yet it is not doing the same with Kembi who was incriminated in the Sh7.8 billion Kemsa scandal.
Kembi, who is the former Kemsa chairFperson, appeared before the Public Investments Committee and exonerated the board, saying it was not involved in the day to day running of the agency.
Ngugi also asked why Ngirita was asked to produce clearances from KRA, EACC and DCI before seeking the party ticket yet the same party is contemplating giving the ticket to Kembi.
Ngugi appealed to the party to wait until a case filed by an NGO that has sued the party for accepting nomination fees from Kembi is determined on April 22.
The NGO filed the petition on April 11, claiming the party acted in total disregard of Chapter Six of the Constitution, saying the former senator was at the centre of the Kemsa scandal.
"We want the court to decide whether the party should issue a ticket to somebody who has been incriminated in such a scandal," he said.
On his part, Peter Kimotho urged the President to ensure the party enables new politicians to vie through the party instead of recycling leaders.
Kimotho said if the issue of tickets issuance is not handled well, the party risks losing many positions to UDA in the county.
"We want Murang'a politics to be integrity-based and we want leaders who dont have blemishes. People who will restore hope among the youth," Kimotho said.
(edited by Amol Awuor)