- If the intended changes to exit Jubilee come to pass, Opposition Chief, Raila Odinga will lose the majority at the assembly.
- Already, the Jubilee Party members at the assembly claimed to be neglected and therefore formed a caucus to be recognized.
Image: WILFRED NYANGARESI
The wrangles in Jubilee Party have triggered a storm not only in Parliament but also in Nairobi County Assembly.
Early last month, the National Executive Council met at the Sarova Woodlands Hotel in Nakuru and appointed East African Legislative Assembly legislator Kanini Kega as SG in an acting capacity.
The group also announced that it was on its way out of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition.
If it comes to pass, Azimio will suffer a huge loss by losing the majority at the Nairobi County Assembly.
The Nairobi County Assembly has 124 MCAs, of which 85 are elected members and 39 are nominated.
Azimio La Umoja Coalition is the majority with the highest number of MCAS at 68 while Kenya Kwanza has 53 MCAs. There are three Independent MCAs.
United Democratic Alliance has 35 elected MCAs just like the Orange Democratic Movement party.
Jubilee has seven, Wiper four, Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) one and three are Independents.
However, CCK was dissolved and joined UDA.
President William Ruto's UDA party and Raila Odinga's ODM each have 17 nominated MCAs.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee has three nominated MCAs and Wiper has two.
Therefore in total, ODM and UDA have 52 MCAs each, Jubilee has 10 Wiper has six and CCK has one MCA.
If the intended changes to exit Jubilee come to pass, Opposition Chief, Raila Odinga will lose the majority at the assembly.
Already, the Jubilee Party members at the assembly claimed to be neglected and therefore formed a caucus to be recognized.
The party elected Karura MCA Fiu Fiu to be the Whip of its caucus at the Nairobi county assembly.
The party’s embattled secretary general Jeremiah Kioni in a letter addressed to Speaker Ken Ng’ondi notified him of the appointment.
“In compliance with Article 18 of the Jubilee Party Constitution this is to notify you that the Jubilee Party members of the county assembly have elected Hon Fiu Fiu as their Caucus Whip,” reads the letter dated January 26, 2023.
Kioni further requested the office of the speaker to recognize, support and facilitate the said office.
At the moment, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja enjoys the full support of the Azimio Assembly leadership.
Makongeni MCA Peter Imwatok is the majority leader while Laini Saba MCA John Musila is his deputy.
Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto holds the majority whip while Upper Savannah MCA Elijah Stazo was named his deputy.
A section of the Minority side consisting of Kenya Kwanza had felt that the Governor was sidelining them and only working with Azimio.
They are led by Minority Leader Antony Waithaka and Minority Whip Mark Mugambi
Governor Sakaja said that he had to work with all MCAs without favouring any side of the house as he was elected to serve all Nairobi residents and not only the UDA supporters.
“If you look at the last election in Nairobi, in the presidential vote Azimio got the majority, and we lost the Senate and Woman Representative seat. Out of the 17 MP seats UDA only managed four, the same case with MCAs, they are the majority with a margin of about 15 and in this scenario, nothing would have sailed through if I didn’t do that,” Sakaja said.
However, If the cards change and Jubilee joins Kenya Kwanza this means that the house leadership will also shift.
Some Jubilee MCAs have said that they were tired of being taken for granted.
Kariobangi South Uhuru MCA Robert Mbatia has said the migration of Jubilee Party-allied MPs from Azimio la Umoja is now inexorable.
"We can't keep pretending to be at ease while our partners take advantage of us in plain daylight. None of the pre-election agreements has been honoured," he said.
When asked if they were concerned that they would be treated similarly by Kenya Kwanza leaders once they moved camp, Mbatia stated he didn't believe they would face anything worse than what happened in Azimio.
Making an example of a family arrangement, Mbatia said being denied meals by a father or brother was more hurtful than getting the same treatment from a neighbour.
"We'd rather be taken advantage of in Kenya Kwanza than in Azimio. We are convinced that we have made the correct option that we will not be sorry for," Mbatia stated.
Already Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met the Nairobi Jubilee MCAs as part of his campaign to woo leaders from the Jubilee party to the government.
It's now a wait-and-see on how the wrangles of the Jubilee party will unfold and who between the pro-Ruto and pro- Azimio will have the last laugh.