- Ruto supporters demand Jubilee financial reports.
- They claim that the party withdrew Sh183 million in six months.
The battle between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto that has threatened to wreck Jubilee has shifted to the ruling party’s multi-billion purse.
The Ruto axis has accused Kenyatta's team of misuse of party resources, lack of accountability and even alleged possible graft.
In what appears as a clear sign that the relationship between the two Jubilee factions is getting worse, their allies who occupy top positions in the party traded barbs, with the Ruto wing demanding several financial documents and threatening court action.
But in a quick rejoinder, secretary general Raphael Tuju said his deputy Caleb Kositany's letter was “desperate political posturing”.
“I have received your letter in which you demand to be furnished with audited accounts of the Jubilee Party. You have signed off as the deputy secretary general.
“All these expose an extreme form of megalomaniac behaviour. Unfortunately, in this office, we do not have the capacity or qualification to deal with such malady," said Tuju.
Among the documents that the Jubilee deputy secretary general is demanding are certified bank statements for four years.
Kositany is among Ruto's allies reportedly earmarked by the Kenyatta wing for sacking in the party hierarchy.
In an interview with the Star, Kositany claimed that some time in 2018 Jubilee withdrew Sh183 million in six months.
He protested that Jubilee is paying rent for the entire eight-storey party headquarters yet it does not occupy all the floors.
According to Kositany, Jubilee county offices are not functional, yet in the party’s financial records they are allocated millions of shillings for rent.
Kositany claims that the party pays Sh67 million rent for the party headquarters, yet the space was initially passed off as a campaign gift.
In his letter, the legislator is demanding a schedule of all county offices paid by the party for the last four financial years, complete with lease agreements.
“We demand the lease or tenancy agreement for the headquarters premises in Pangani interchange and schedule of all paid rent for the financial year 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020,” he stated.
“We demand copies of all expenditure incurred and paid for, for the financial year 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. Provide all schedules and sub-schedules thereto.”
In his rejoinder, Tuju appeared to be asking the Ruto team to direct their queries to their own man, party treasurer Alfred Kipkorir Mutai.
“In any case, you should be addressing such issues to the office of Alfred Kipkorir Mutai, who is the treasurer and a member of NEC just like you,” he stated.
According to Tuju, the Jubilee books of accounts for three financial years have been given a clean bill of health by the Auditor General.
“Currently, we are only waiting for the certificate from the new Auditor General for the period covering the accounts for 2018-2019,” Tuju stated.
He said the documents demanded by Kositany are public and asked him to get them from the office of the Auditor General or the Registrar of Political Parties.
“The party cannot receive political parties funds without due compliance,”he stated.
The Jubilee political machine has a massive financial war chest.
It received Sh240 million from the Exchequer during the 2017-2018 financial year and almost a similar amount in the subsequent financial years.
Jubilee MCAs have been contributing Sh5,000, MPs Sh20, 000 and governors 50, 000 shillings monthly to the party for the last seven years.
The ruling party has about 171 MPs in the bicameral parliament which means each month it rakes in Sh3.4 million.
Its 25 governors bring in an income of Sh1.2 million monthly.
Jubilee has hundreds of MCA’s spread across the country.
Its five EALA MPs also pay a monthly subscription of Sh20,000
The push by Tangatanga MPs to make party financial reports public comes after the Ruto allied legislatures vowed to stay in Jubilee and fight from within .
The party was targeting to expose the suppliers and people they believe are earning salaries illegally.
In his letter copied to the Registrar of Political Parties, Kositany gave Tuju seven days to submit the detailed financial reports for the past four years
“I write on behalf of more than 100 Members of Parliament and over 500 members of county assemblies who are bona fide members of the party to demand certified bank statements for all Jubilee bank accounts, for financial years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. Include all cash books for the same period,” the Soy MP stated in a letter dated July 13.
Edited by Henry Makori