- Thirdway Alliance NEC held a meeting that suspended Aukot from the helm of the party.
- Aukot was asked to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee on September 4, 2020 to defend himself.
Image: FILE
Thirdway Alliance leader Ekuru Aukot now blames proponents of Building Bridges Initiative for the upheaval in his party.
Speaking after a section of the party’s National Executive Committee met and suspended him as the party boss, the former presidential candidate said his troubles started when he relaunched the Punguza Mzigo Kenya.
Aukot said he was a victim of his latest initiative since it was a threat to BBI being pushed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM chief Raila Odinga.
Thirdway Alliance secretary general Fredrick Okango on Wednesday led a section of NEC members in a meeting that suspended Aukot.
According to a statement released to newsrooms, NEC acted on complaints raised against the party leader by members, which included accusations of financial impropriety and defying a court order in a child support case.
“That NEC considered complaints raised against the party leader by various party members: Assault on Dr Angela Mwikali, the deputy party leader using crude words, and financial impropriety, self-enrichment, non-accountability and lack of transparency,” the Okango team said.
“Dr Aukot has been suspended as the party leader indefinitely and shall not represent or transact any business on behalf of the party pending determination of the matter by the disciplinary committee.”
The statement was signed by Okango and Thirdway national chairman Miruru Waweru.
The leadership of Thirdway Alliance has been embroiled in wrangles since the party launched its seond intitiative to amend the 2010 Constitution.
In February, a section of party leaders went to court seeking to suspend Punguza Mizigo Kenya demanding to know the source of funding for the initiative.
Deputy secretary-general Phelister Wughanga and national women's caucus chairperson Hilda Gachachi sued Aukot, their party and the office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
They accused Aukot of failing to disclose the source of funding for the project. They further accused the office of the Registrar of Political Parties of failing to discharge its duty of ensuring publication of audited accounts.
On Wednesday, the NEC directed that Aukot appear before the party’s disciplinary committee on September 4, 2020 to defend himself.
Aukot described the purported leadership change as nonsense and a desperate attempt by the BBI team to slow down his push for constitutional change.
“It is rubbish. I am not even in Nairobi. That's BBI nonsense at work. Okango and others have been bought to discredit PMK because it is the only threat,” Aukot told the Star.
Early this year, Aukot launched a second bid to drastically change the Constitution after the first attempt was defeated at the county assemblies.
Edited by Henry Makori