President Uhuru Kenyatta has given a deaf ear to calls for a Parliamentary Group meeting by some Jubilee MPs.
The last time the President chaired a PG was on September 18, last year, before the passage of the controversial Finance Bill which had attracted opposition from within the ruling coalition.
Some Jubilee MPs have complained that the President has ignored the party since cementing his working relationship with ODM leader Raila Odinga in the 'handshake' on March 9, last year. Raila had before then been his chief critic.
Jubilee chairman Nelson Dzuya yesterday told that Star that it is President who can convene a Parliamentary Group meeting “at his preferred time”.
“As the party leader, he has the Constitutional mandate to call and chair a PG. Yes, members could be having issues that they would wish to be discussed and addressed at a PG but we cannot force the President to convene the meeting,” Dzuya said by phone.
“He will call the PG at his own time.”
Dzuya, who maintains a low profile, told party officials to desist from being used to rock the party from within and instead help the President to unite Kenyans and deliver pre-election pledges as captured in the Jubilee manifesto.
“As party officials, we should be in frontline ensuring that we are delivering development projects and uniting Kenyans in line with the jubilee ideals and ideology. The DP (William Ruto) was in order to ask party officials to respect our ideals and stop being used to bring tribal divisions,” the chairman said.
Jubilee MPs allied to Deputy President William Ruto have been pushing the party leadership to convene the PG to “discuss several in-house matters” that have threatened to split the ruling party.
Two factions already exist – Tangatanga associated with Ruto allies and Kieleweke which leans towards Uhuru. Also in Kieleweke are some 2017 election losers, who with the Opposition, are against Ruto succeeding Uhuru in 2022.
The MPs pushing for the PG want in particular to know the terms of engagement with Raila in the 'handshake' and the end result of the Building Bridges Taskforce currently traversing the country collecting views from Kenyans.
The referendum is also a point of concern as the MPs are divided on the stand they should take on the plebiscite which is being pushed by the Raila camp.
The MPs are also keen to know from the President if the 2013 election deal with Ruto stands.
Since entering into a political deal with Raila, Uhuru has been giving mixed signals on his commitment to support Ruto in the 2022 presidential race.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said the PG was long overdue “not just to bond as a jubilee family but also to review and set the political and legislative agenda”.
“The PG is no longer an option because there are critical issues concerning the party agenda and the Big Four Agenda. The legislative agenda should be key because we need to fast-track Jubilee manifesto implementation,” Cherargei said.
The close Ruto ally, who is the Senate Legal Affairs and Human Rights committee chairman, said the meeting will also offer an opportunity to deal with infighting and plan for party elections.
“The infighting of party members should be sorted out. The aspect of party primaries is critical to strengthen the party going into the future and we need to sort out errand party officials through disciplinary action,” he said.
Belgut MP Nelson Koech, another Ruto ally, said it was shameful for the President to ignore members for asking for PG.
The first time MP said the reason why Jubilee is yet to call the PG is because of “lame duck party officials", lack of goodwill by the party leadership and “unfounded fear of fallout in case the PG is convened”.
Koech told the Star, “It is true that a significant number of us have been asking for a PG to address issues that I believe are normal and easily solvable in that particular forum.”
He added: “It is quite a shame that a national political party with millions of supporters, hundreds of MPs and thousands of county leaders can stay for over a year without a sitting. Even village youth groups feel uncomfortable when they go for even a month without a meeting. It is therefore justified for those who feel disgruntled when the party stays for over a year without convening a PG”.
Others who have backed calls for PG include jubilee Majority Whip in the National Assembly Ben Washiali and nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura.
"If we continue this way, Jubilee will lose terribly. We can't choose between Uhuru and Ruto. Let them call us so that we put the house in order," Mwaura said.
However, Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, who is a leading light in anti-Ruto team Kieleweke says there is no need for a PG and they all know what they should do both in and out of Parliament.
“We all know why we were elected as leaders. We don't need a PG to be told what to do since the President has also asked us to support him to fight corruption, unite the country and make his Big Four Agenda a reality,” he said.
JP secretary general Raphael Tuju blamed the MPs for only requesting for the meeting in public rallies and not taking the next step to formally put a request.
“No member of the party has requested a PG. I only see those calls in the media,” Tuju told the Star. The SG has come under fire from a section of Jubilee leaders over an alleged recording of him and former MP George Nyanja in which they ridicule the DP.
Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale concurred with Tuju that no request has so far been submitted to his office requesting for a PG.
He said any party member who wishes to request for a PG should write to Chief Whip (Washiali) so that they can set an agenda for the PG.
“PG is organised through the Whip in consultation with the secretary general, the leadership in Parliament, the deputy party leader and the party leader. They will set the agenda and call the meeting based on the diary of the party President,” Duale said.
He called on party members to stop lying that it has been two years since they had a PG. “As the spokesperson of the party in Parliament, I can say without fear of contradiction that all is well. We do not have team Tangatanga or team Kieleweke in Parliament that we see Friday to Sunday.”
“When there is a matter, our secretary general sits in the Cabinet. We are all working well and there is no crisis in Jubilee,” he added.
