Ruto allies planning mass Jubilee exodus

 The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) associated with Deputy President William Ruto’s camp has crafted its power plan, including grassroots elections in April and defections from Jubilee three months to next year’s elections.

The lawmakers want to stage a mass exodus in May next year when the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) cannot hold a by-election in case of expulsion from the party.

Some were also banking on Section 45 of the Elections Act, which states that a recall of an MP cannot happen less than a year to the election, to escalate their defiance by openly associating with UDA.

Read:Inside plan by ‘Ruto parties’ to take over ODM, Jubilee turfs

But the Jubilee MPs allied to the DP’s Tangatanga faction were reportedly advised against starting UDA activities that early.

Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono, however, said some will take the chance this year, as the relations between the DP and his boss, President Kenyatta continue to deteriorate.

“Resigning from the Jubilee Party will likely happen towards the end of 2022. However, we intend to promote this UDA because anything can happen. Expelling more than 100 MPs from the Jubilee Party will be costly for them,” Mr Rono added.

Disciplinary organs

“The elections law bars IEBC from holding any by-election three months to the next election,” explained constitutional lawyer Bobby Mkangi.

 “What is going on in Jubilee Party is a replica of what happened in ODM and Wiper prior to the 2017 General Election where disciplinary organs of the party recommended the expulsion of disloyal members, but they filed cases which have dragged on to date,” Mr Mkangi added.

Six Jubilee nominated senators allied to the DP have since been expelled from the party and are fighting in court to keep their seats with Jubilee bosses warning there will be no sacred cows.

Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju announced the expulsion of Senators Isaac Mwaura, Mary Seneta, Naomi Waqo, Millicent Omanga, Victor Prengei and Falhada Iman on Monday.

The following day Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata, who wrote a letter critical of the Building Bridges Initiative, was ousted as Senate Majority Whip and replaced with Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi.

With the deepening rift in the ruling party, which is making it increasingly untenable for Dr Ruto’s allies to defend their seats in the next elections on its ticket, the Tangatanga camp has opted for UDA as their 2022 election vehicle.

Party constitution

It is widely expected that Dr Ruto will make his debut run for president on the party’s ticket, as he is isolated by the President’s camp that is opposed to his presidential candidature.

UDA operatives have drafted a party constitution with a raft of positions as the party prepares for next year’s contest.

Read: Ruto camp side-lined from crucial parliamentary team

The outfit, a rebrand of Jubilee affiliate Party of Development and Reforms (PDR), has proposed three deputies each for key posts, viewed as a strategy to accommodate many interests.

A draft UDA constitution seen by the Nation proposes to have three deputy party leaders, three deputy chairpersons, three deputy secretaries-general, three deputy national treasurers, and three deputy national organising secretaries.

Read: Uhuru’s Jubilee wing in plot to tame Ruto, allies over UDA link

The power-sharing mode, a meeting of MPs the DP hosted at his official residence in Karen on Monday heard, would also help diversify tasks while solving the Jubilee problem seen as arising from unelected party officials amassing all power and who are now targeting the DP who is the deputy party leader.

The three proposed deputy positions shall be in charge of operations, programmes and strategy, with each of the office holders given powers to promote one of the three roles and reporting to the substantive office holder.

 “NEC shall designate any of the deputies to act and undertake the duties and roles of the respective substantive office holders or any other official to act where circumstances warrant or where in the opinion of NEC the office holder is unable to perform the duties of that office,” the draft UDA constitution states.

The new party also wants a decision to expel a member to be ratified by the National Governing Council, the party’s second highest decision making organ, another key departure from the Jubilee constitution where such a decision terminates at the party’s National Executive Committee.

In Jubilee, the National Management Committee (NMC) sets the agenda for NEC. For instance, it’s the NMC that recommended to NEC the expulsion of the nominated senators following disciplinary proceedings.

Yesterday, UDA chairman Johnson Muthama said the party had started an online membership registration drive with the grassroots elections to choose officials in the regional offices expected to start in April and be concluded in June this year. The national executive office holders, Mr Muthama said, are likely to be in place by August.

And while the DP has walked with the UDA officials and has even endorsed its candidates in upcoming by-elections, Dr Ruto’s office yesterday said the second-in-command was still in Jubilee.

“I do not know anything about the new party. What I know is that William Ruto is the Deputy President and Jubilee deputy party leader,” said Mr Emmanuel Tallam, the DP’s communications director.

This is even as the Nation was told of a resolve by the DP-allied MPs in the Karen meeting to market UDA as the ‘hustler nation’ party with its new party symbol, a wheelbarrow, as the rallying call.

Besides UDA, the DP’s camp has also lined up six other political parties allied to him, with the view that they continue to exist independently, as opposed to the 2016 grand Jubilee plan that saw the merger of 12 political parties to form the monolith that rode President Kenyatta to his second and final term.

The other parties are former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri-led The Service Party (TSP), New Democrats associated with former Marakwet West David Sudi, People’s Empowerment Party (PEP) linked to Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria as well as United Green Party (UGP) and Grand Dream Development Party (GDDP) which have all been fully registered.