By James Mbaka, NAIROBI Kenya
Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party will hold a national delegates convention (NDC) next month to install substantive officials and ratify a proposed coalition with its main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement led by Raila Odinga.
It has been established that the NDC is also being
prepared to sanction far-reaching changes to the Jubilee constitution that
would kick out defiant Deputy President William Ruto as the deputy party leader.
Despite falling out with his boss and forming his
own 2022 vehicle, the United Democratic Alliance party, Ruto is still Jubilee's
deputy leader as per the party's constitution.
The Jubilee National Management Committee —the
party’s administration organ—convenes today for a key meeting to discuss the
logistics of the NDC and craft the summit’s agenda.
The NDC is coming at a time when Uhuru’s men are
pushing for radical changes to the party’s leadership. It could also seal the
fate of secretary general Raphael Tuju.
“If that would be the decision of the party, I will
abide by it because there is no position that is permanent; what is important
is the unity of the country,” said Tuju when asked about his
future.
He confirmed to the Star that the NDC was in the
offing but said its agenda had yet to be set by the management committee,
a lean yet powerful organ of the party.
“We are planning for the national delegates
convention, but the NMC is meeting tomorrow (Thursday) to look at, among other
things, the road map to the conference,” Tuju said.
The CS, however, hinted that the Jubilee-ODM
coalition plan is among the issues to be discussed today.
"That is part of the agenda," Tuju said
without elaborating when asked if the ODM-Jubilee coalition deal would be on
the table.
There is intense pressure from politicians allied to the President, especially those coalescing around the Kieleweke faction, to have Tuju and powerful vice chairman David Murathe kicked out.
The two powerful officials have been accused of
mismanaging the party's affairs, leading to its poor show in recent
by-elections and high-profile defections.
They have also been under political attacks for
failing to revamp the party at the grassroots, leading to massive disaffection
among members.
On Wednesday, Kieni MP Kanini Kega, a close ally of
the President, said the NDC has been planned to overhaul the leadership of the
party ahead of 2022.
“The NDC, being the supreme decision-making organ
of the party, will put in office substantive officials even if it means that
some of the high-ranking officials will have to be replaced,” he said.
Kega said the party is currently involved in the
screening of the NDC delegates.
“We are currently cleaning the delegates register
to ensure those who have defected to other parties like the United Democratic
Alliance are expunged,” he said.
The Jubilee Party last held an NDC on September 9,
2016, when at least 11 affiliate parties folded up and merged to form the mother
outfit that carried President Kenyatta's 2017 reelection dream.
Since then, the party has in the last three years
suffered massive hemorrhage following the falling-out between the Uhuru and
Ruto. The proposed political deal with ODM is, therefore, expected to
breathe new life into the party.
According to the Jubilee constitution, the NMC
will, on behalf of the National Executive Committee, draw the agenda for
presentation at the NDC later next month.
There are reports the NDC will amend the constitution
to delete the provision that the deputy president shall be the deputy party
leader, to deny any future DP the protection of being the automatic second in
command in the party.
In March, the NMC resolved to kick out Ruto as
deputy party leader and forwarded the resolutions to NEC. It is understood
Uhuru blocked the bid because of the weight of the matter.
The NDC will now exercise its powers to ratify
constitutional amendments that will largely whittle down the influence of the
deputy party leader, giving the party boss the leeway to pick any other
member.
It is understood the President’s key men are also
working on an elaborate political plan to assemble a broad-based coalition with
opposition parties ahead of the 2022 presidential election.
President Uhuru, who as left no doubt that he
prefers Raila to succeed him at State House, has sanctioned a Jubilee-ODM
coalition to bolster chances of vanquishing Ruto.
It is widely believed that the ODM-Jubilee political deal could also bring on board other opposition parties like Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper, Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC and Moses Wetangula’s Ford Kenya.
“The bigger agenda of the Jubilee Party is to unite
the country; we are having discussions with Wiper, ANC and Ford Kenya to this
effect because we do not want to leave anyone behind,” Tuju said.
The Star has learnt that the coalition instruments
have been prepared and are awaiting the NDC for endorsement before the
ODM-Jubilee pact is formalised and deposited with the Registrar of Political
Parties.
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