• Deputy President's allies push for a takeover of Jubilee party while the President's men want the elections shelfed.
• Term of most officials ended last November with the party Constitution requiring that new officials be elected by March this year.
Image: FILE
Deputy President William Ruto has said Jubilee Party elections will take place in March as required by its constitution.
Ruto made the announcement during an interview on NTV on Thursday night amid reports that allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta are pushing for the deferral of the upcoming elections.
The DP admitted that the ruling party that was formed in the run-up to the 2017 general election is "facing internal challenges" but expressed optimism that they would be resolved.
"We haven't met as a party for the last two years, we have not had a PG that is the correct position. We are going to have party elections hopefully in March but that is an in-house matter for us. As a party we will sit down, work it out and we will move forward," he said during the interview at his Karen official residence.
Ruto added: "We haven't had a meeting of NEC as well. There is basically an agreement that there will be time for us to meet as NEC, as PG and organize our party so that we can move into the next election."
Ruto's allies are spoiling for a fight and want their boss to take control of the party organs in readiness for his 2022 presidential duel.
They have warned that the Jubilee party must conduct the internal elections by March, failing which they will move to court to oust the office bearers.
However, the President's lieutenants want polls for new office bearers pushed forward so as not to poison the BBI climate.
Those who spoke to the Star said elections are divisive and would distract the Building Bridges Initiative crusade.
The majority of the politicians coalescing around the President's faction of the ruling party prefer the current officeholders to steer the BBI campaigns.
"We want elections after the BBI fate is determined. It is impossible to conduct the elections when BBI campaigns are ongoing," said an ally of the President from Kiambu.
Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, a close ally of the President, when asked about the pushing forward of the elections, said the priority of the country at the moment is the BBI report.
“The Jubilee party's main focus at the moment is on the BBI report. We want to make sure that as many Kenyans as possible have access to the report and actually understand the report,” said Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu.
Wambugu, however, noted that while the Jubilee's top agenda is the BBI report, “internal elections are key in strengthening the party.”
“It is not like we fear elections. It is the internal rebellion led by the deputy president himself that has caused us problems. When elections come we will do away with the rebellion,” he said.
The party is expected to hold snap elections for new officeholders this year given that the three-year term for most of the interim officials expired last November.
Most of the national interim officials, save for the secretary-general Raphael Tuju, were picked to steer the party on November 5, 2016.
Tuju was installed as Jubilee SG and head of the Jubilee party secretariat in March 2017.
As per the Jubilee constitution, the new national officials will be elected by 19 delegates from each of the 47 counties
The Jubilee party Constitution is explicit on the term of office for interim officials:
“All interim party officials shall serve for a term not exceeding three years from the date of the appointment unless he/she is elected as provided under this constitution.”
Yesterday, acting registrar of political parties Anne Nderitu said the term of most of the officials of the Jubilee party has expired in accordance with Jubilee's own Constitution.
“We are obliged to remind Jubilee that they are bound by their own constitution, and as matter of compliance with the law, to hold elections as and when the term of the current officeholders come to an end,” she told the Star.
Setting the stage for a possible clash, Kimilili MP Didmas Basara, a close ally of the DP, told the Star that the Jubilee party must hold elections as required.
“We want elections held as soon as possible so that we can get rid of some rebels creating problems in the party. Some officials who have already joined ODM party but still serving as Jubilee leaders must be shown the door,” the vocal lawmaker said.
Barasa said the Jubilee secretariat must call for elections and allow the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to conduct the polls for credibility.
“Party members contribute a lot of money to the party and believe that there is enough money to contract IEBC to manage the elections,” he said.
He added: “We won't entertain any monkey business by people who already defected to ODM and now want the party to fail to comply with the law so that it is wiped out.”
National Assembly Majority Whip Benjamin Washiali said Jubilee party elections are long overdue.
The Mumias East MP is running for the secretary general's position held by Tuju.
“We want to restore sanity in our party. We don't want the current confusion in the party to spill over to the 2022 elections," he told the Star.
Kapseret MO Oscar Sudi said an election was necessary to remove officials opposed to Ruto's presidential bid.
'Let them not try to postpone the elections. That would be met with equal force," he said.
Ruto's allies have accused a section of officials of plotting to block Ruto from succeeding the president.
However, the DP's troops gave called for grand house cleaning at the Jubilee house in a major takeover that would sweep the Ruto's critics.
Tuju has said Jubilee will block corrupt leaders from contesting for leadership positions in the party in support of President Uhuru's anti-graft war.