- The Jubilee officials allied to Ruto said they will move to court to quash the notice.
- They claimed the notice offends the party constitution as it was not endorsed by NEC.
Jubilee party officials loyal to President William Ruto have vowed to move to court to quash a notice by Jeremiah Kioni summoning a National Delegates Convention.
Led by the party's undisputed chairperson Nelson Dzuya the officials said the planned NDC is illegal as it offends the party constitution.
They argued that an ordinary NDC, like the one Kioni has issued notice for, can only be held after five years as provided for in the Jubilee constitution.
Dzuya said Kioni will violate the party constitution if he convenes a second NDC within a span of two years without reference to the law.
The last NDC kicked out Ruto as the deputy party leader at the height of his fallout with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“An ordinary NDC can be held once in five years unless it is a special NDC. The one he has called for is an ordinary NDC and yet we had one last year,” he said.
“So, these are Kioni’s own things as far as I am concerned. I am not aware of that NDC. I have seen the notice today and members have also seen it today,” he held.
On his part, Jubilee deputy secretary general Joshua Kutuny termed Kioni’s notice as null and void and vowed that they will put up a legal fightback to overturn the notice.
“That is null and void. We have already put our application to set aside the conservatory orders and we are very sure we are going to succeed,” he said.
The conservatory orders were issued by the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal setting aside the Registrar of political parties' decision to recognise changes to the party's leadership.
In the contested changes by the party's National Executive Council, Kioni had been kicked out as secretary general and replaced by former Kieni MP Kanini Kega, in an acting capacity.
“We want to tell Kioni to hold his horses. We want to tell our members that Kioni is no longer an official in the party. He remains suspended. We want to tell our members that NDC is not going to take place,” Kuttuny said.
“We have many ways to fight it. If we get a ruling on our application, then the notice by Kioni is null and void. But we are also going to firefight in court. We have to suspend that.”
According to Dzuya, the convention is not a party position as it was not endorsed by the NEC as required by the Constitution.
According to an advertisement placed in a local daily on Tuesday, Kioni said the NDC will take place on March 24 and 25 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
'The agenda of the NDC shall be to receive and welcome the elected leaders from the concluded General Election,” the public notice reads in part.
The NDC will also elect from among the eligible members of the party, the national officials of the party to fill in vacant positions.
The meeting as well formulates and approves Jubilee party policies and programmes, according to the notice signed by Kioni.