Flurry of activity on Jubilee’s big launch

Preparations are in top gear for the Jubilee Party launch this week, with thousands of delegates expected to attend.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto have gone out of their way to ensure that all concerned parties dissolve successfully.

The President is scheduled to visit Nairobi’s Bomas of Kenya and Kasarani Stadium — the venues where parties will hold their delegates conferences on Thursday.
The main event will be on Saturday where all delegates will meet at Kasarani stadium. Representatives from various parties have also been invited from across the world.
The ceremony is expected to mirror the glitzy TNA launch in 2012 — but on a bigger scale. The ceremony will be highly scripted so as to achieve more within the time available.
“There will be a display of Jubilee government achievements as well as testimonials by people from across the world,” said a source.

The biggest secret, however, remains the line-up of party officials to be announced that day.

The President and Mr Ruto have so far kept the names secret.

“We expect names that will reflect the face of Kenya so that the party can enjoy public confidence. There is a lot of excitement about the party,” said Bumula MP Boniface Otsiula.

Parties in the coalition have been sprucing up their lists of delegates ahead of the conferences.

TNA secretary general Onyango Oloo said his party is ready for the convention and that he is finalising a few things.

ACCOMODATE OBSERVERS

“It’s all systems go. We will have 1,650 delegates. The only thing remaining now is how to accommodate observers who wish to come,” he said.
The observers include government and opposition leaders that the party will nominate to attend. Mr Oloo said the list of observers will be ready by Tuesday.
Every party will be hosting the number of delegates permitted by its constitution.

Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyonka, who was elected on an ODM ticket, said he would attend the Kasarani event.

“I will be in Kasarani as an observer. I am weighing my options for 2017 and it’s only fair I turn up there. I have no qualms working with Jubilee,” he said.
Ford People, however, will not be at Kasarani after some of its officials obtained an order from the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal against dissolving.
In 2013 elections, Kisii voted 71 per cent for Cord and 29 per cent for Jubilee.

“We have confidence in our courts. We will humble ourselves and pray for a positive outcome. Recent forays by Jubilee in Kisii have seen Cord rise to defend its turf,” said Mr Albert Nyaundi, the party’s chairman.

The application filed last Thursday by party official Jerry Kenyansa lists party interim chairman Nyaundi as the first respondent and Ford People as the second respondent.

Mr Kenyansa  said the move to dissolve Ford People was made without consulting the party’s owners and founders.

He said the party was still intact and termed the recent announcement of its pending dissolution “hasty and illegal”.

“We wish that a temporary order be issued restraining the respondents from convening any meeting on behalf of the second respondent to discuss the dissolution of the party pending the hearing and determination of the suit,” said the application in part.

The application further gags the planning meeting of the members scheduled for the September 8 event from rubber-stamping the move to merge with the Jubilee Party. “We want any such meeting to be stopped until the hearing and determination of this application,” the application states.