An 11th-hour crisis over delegate numbers and reluctance of two Jubilee affiliates to merge threaten to mar next week's launch of the UhuRuto political machine.
The number of delegates each of the 12 or 13 affiliates can bring to the Jubilee Party's National Delegates Conference is crucial because they will elect the 21 powerful interim national officials. Parties are scrambling for influence and seeking more delegates.
All parties are to dissolve next Friday and merge with mega JP on Saturday.
But Ford People has been barred from dissolution by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal. A member has filed suit against the merger and some members say they fear losing their identity and bargaining power. It had previously agreed to merge.
The Party of National Unity is also in a leadership crisis over the merger. The chairman accuses the secretary general of calling its National Delegates Conference without following procedure. It is said there are plans to improperly install Meru Governor Peter Munya as PNU chief, though he still holds a position in APK.
There was no immediate comment from Jubilee about possible hitches in its launch plans.
Crisis meet
On Thursday, Jubilee's National
Steering Committee held a crisis meeting at Hotel La Mada in Nairobi to resolve the feud over delegate numbers. One insider called the issue a "dangerous development threatening to derail the merger".
The meeting of officials of all affiliate parties resolved President Uhuru's TNA be allowed to bring 1,500 delegates and Deputy President William Ruto's URP 1,000
Kiaraitu Murungi's APK is to bring 620 delegates, UDF 600.
Other affiliate parties will each bring 500 delegates. They include JAP, the Republican Council, The Independent Party, New Ford Kenya, GNU, UPK, Ford Kenya and PNU.
Some parties allege underhanded dealings to deny them a fair number of delegates.
For instance, UDF which initially was told to bring 500 delegates, says it should have more delegates than APK, which has been given more than 600 slots
because it has more MCAs, MPs and governors.
Officials of small affiliate parties say discrepancies in delegate numbers will be used to tilt the vote and determine the interim national officials.
Already New Ford Kenya has threatened to quit Jubilee, barely a month after it agreed to dissolve and merge.
New Ford Kenya Bungoma chairman Martin Nyongesa on Thursday said its condition for joining Jubilee was to be given a plum party position.
Jubilee Party not registered
The Star has also established the Jubilee Party itself is yet to be registered, less than a week before all affiliates are to fold up.
The National Steering Committee is said to have resolved to collapse all the affiliate parties into the existing Jubilee Alliance Party. The committee is co-chaired by Meru senator Kiraitu Murungi and former Kwanza MP Noah Wekesa.
"With time constraints on registering a new party, the committee resolved to withdraw the constitution of both JAP and JP and then we will amend them to allow other parties on board," a steering committee member told the Star. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
The amended Political Parties Act allows a political party to merge with another by either forming a new outfit or merging into an already registered party.
The Act says a political party that has been provisionally registered may apply to the Registrar of Political Parties for full registration not later than 180 days from the date of provisional registration.
It is understood the new proposal to collapse all parties into JAP has faced strong resistance within the affiliates. JAP officials are reluctant to give up their posts.
Murungi said, however, merger into JAP was the best way to go.
Ford People merger on hold
Another impediment is Thursday's ruling by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal stopping dissolution of Ford People.
The tribunal blocked chairman Albert Nyaundi from convening meetings to discuss the merger, pending the determination of a case filed by a disgruntled member.
Party members have been barred from attending Jubilee’s unveiling on Friday next week.
The petitioner wants the party to remain independent “to avoid it losing its identity and bargaining power”.
Nyaundi attended a meeting at State House where it was announced the party was among 13 parties that will dissolve and merge with JP.
Ford People delegates had planned to meet next Friday to endorse the merger a day before the Jubilee Party convention.
PNU leadership conflict
The Party of National Unity also faces a crisis over merger.
Chairman John Kamama accuses secretary General John Okemwa Anunda of calling its National Delegates Conference without following procedure.
He says the meeting is intended to unlawfully install Meru Governor Peter Munya as the PNU leader, although he is still an executive member of APK.
Yesterday, the matter came up
before the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal, but was postponed until Monday. The tribunal directed Kamama to include PNU as a respondent in the suit, saying orders being sought directly affects the party.
Munya has indicated he intends to seek re-election on a PNU ticket. This after the Alliance Party of Kenya led by Murungi — through which he was elected in 2013 — resolved to merge with the Jubilee Party.
Kamama says plans by the secretary general Anunda to replace former President Mwai Kibaki as PNU leader should be stopped, as they do not follow procedure and are unlawful.
“Whether to elect Governor Munya as PNU leader is a choice only delegates can make. It cannot be deliberated in a board room” Kamama says in documents.
PNU said in a letter to the Registrar of Political Parties on November 25, 2015, that it would not dissolve or merge with any other party. It was signed by Jeremiah Kioni as party leader.