• Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu said a decision on the feud is possible in two to three days.
• The rival factions filed returns on Tuesday, citing the changes claimed by each side.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
A faction that attempted to oust Moses Wetang’ula from Ford Kenya leadership has threatened to eject him from the party.
Wafula Wamunyinyi, the faction's leader, said they will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against the Bungoma senator for "disrespecting" party structures.
The Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu on Tuesday remained seized of the matter and is likely to give a resolution either tomorrow or Thursday.
“We are going through the documents presented by the two factions and expect to declare who the office holders are in two to three days,” Nderitu said.
The ORPP boss said they were appraising the documents submitted by the two sides, adding that they guided the teams on the procedure of changing party officials.
The ruling will be based on how the sides applied requirements of the Political Parties Act (Sec20), the party constitution, and the regulations guiding registration of parties.
The Wamunyinyi faction tabled instruments which reflect the May 31 changes where the Kanduyi MP was named as interim party leader.
“…Wetangula was dismissed from the position of party leader and the position taken over by Wafula Wamunyinyi on an interim basis,” the letter reads.
“Chris Mandu was dismissed from the position of national organising secretary and the position taken by Josephine Maungu on an interim basis.”
Wetang’ula’s team, led by Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa, also deposited their version of the returns to the Parties Registrar barely hours after the Wamunyinyi side left.
Bungoma Woman Rep Catherine Wambilianga, Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi, Mugirango West MP Vincent Kemosi, and Hamisi MP Charles Gimose, former Trans Nzoia Senator Henry Ndiema, and several MCAs were present.
Wamunyinyi told journalists in Nairobi that Wetang’ula should stop his attempts to instigate a parallel process to the one they are undertaking.
“We will not go anywhere because the National Executive Council that made the changes was properly constituted,” he said.
Flanked by Eseli Simiyu, his Tongaren counterpart who is also Ford-K secretary-general, Wamunyinyi said Wetang’ula’s response was only reactionary and had no backing of a properly constituted NEC.
“This is the impunity that has made us fail as a party. He wants to force things. What we saw was a grouping of a few people...there was no proper organ of the party at the offices to purport to have made any changes,” the MP said.
The chair of Women League Cynthia Mutere, Maungu, and PWDs secretary Kilele Alexander were also present.
The Kanduyi MP said the registrar acknowledged the documents as proper.
But the Wetangula’s side maintains that they are the legitimate leaders of the party which played a key role in the 1992 multiparty era.
At a presser moments after Wamunyini spoke, Wamalwa said they were confident that the registrar will agree with them.
He held that they have followed the law in suspending Wamunyinyi as the secretary for agriculture, livestock and food policy, and Eseli as secretary general.
Wamunyinyi was replaced by Kemosi while Roselida Andambi was proposed to replace Ford Kenya Women League chair Cynthia Mutere.
“We have filed the necessary documents removing them as officials of the party. We highlighted the circumstances that led to their suspension,” the MP said.
Wetang'ula was not at the press conference, ostensibly owing to the Senate business of electing Margaret Kamar as Deputy Speaker.
Wamalwa, who now claims the role of acting secretary general, wants the Wamunyinyi team barred from transacting business on behalf of the party.
“The party leadership remains firmly under Moses Wetang'ula. Our party is aware of other masqueraders who purport to be yet they no longer hold such offices.”
He referred to unnamed forces whom he claimed have schemed to destroy Ford Kenya, saying they are ready to deal with them.
“We are aware that every effort is being made by forces of darkness calculated to destroy and tear apart our otherwise stable Ford Kenya.”
But the Wamunyinyi faction maintains it is only a matter of time before they kick Wetang'ula out of the Ngong Road offices.
“We will proceed to take over the offices immediately we are confirmed by registrar. If Wetang'ula continues to show disrespect, we will deal with him.”
Eseli said the NEC made the changes in line with its intention to strengthen the party.
“We want to take it back to the people, away from the cartels and individual managers, and to get it going. We have no intention of wrecking the party. We want to hold discussions with other parties so that we develop our country together,” the Tongaren MP said.
On Wetangula’s tenure, he said: “As far as we are concerned, he is no longer the leader of the party. As law-abiding citizens we will wait for the process.”
- mwaniki fm