Ruto plotting Uhuru’s forceful exit from the political scene
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Ruto lays ground to take control of the Jubilee party in a move to force former President Uhuru Kenyatta from the political scene
Ruto lays ground to take control of the Jubilee party in a move to force former President Uhuru Kenyatta from the political scene.
An ultimatum issued by a Jubilee Party faction that overthrew the allies of retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta effectively foreshadows an impending coup by signaling their intention to leave the opposition coalition.
The splinter group allied to President William Ruto is forcing Mr. Kenyatta into two choices: accept their mission to hammer out a deal with the ruling coalition or risk impending expulsion from the party leadership.
They are doing this by putting plans to withdraw from the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, where Mr. Kenyatta sits by virtue of his post as leader of the Jubilee Party.
Mr. Kenyatta is now in an awkward position as a result of the Jubilee coup plotters’ decision to collaborate with Kenya Kwanza.
As a result, he is either going to have to get involved in contentious political battles and run the risk of coming into direct conflict with his successor or resigning as party leader.
In a two-pronged strategy apparently calculated to force Uhuru Kenyatta to quit the party leadership, which would diminish his standing in Azimio, Mr. Kenyatta has another looming statutory deadline in a month.
The Presidential Retirement Benefits Act says “a retired President shall not hold office in any political party for more than six months after ceasing to hold office as President.”
This places that deadline on March 13 and, although the former Head of State has vowed he will not be blackmailed with his retirement perks, if he doesn’t quit, it will open a protracted legal and political fight with a government that has signaled it will play hardball with critics as he did with his then deputy, Ruto.
And it has now emerged the new Jubilee party leaders have agreed to give Uhuru Kenyatta time to negotiate the way forward regarding the planned exit from Azimio.
“We have come up with a six-month roadmap, which will define where we are heading to. We are going to appoint a dispute resolution committee to look into our exit from Azimio and that will take us around 90 days,”
Jubilee Deputy Secretary-General Joshua Kutuny told Nation.
“Within the same period, we hope that our party leader will reach out so that we explain to him why we want to exit. We have been frustrated because our members have been denied some positions in Parliament and that is what has engineered all these,” Mr. Kutuny added.
The latest move to indirectly seize control of the former ruling party and secure the backing of its 32 lawmakers in Parliament, completes the hostile takeover.
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East Africa Legislative Assembly MP Kanini Kega, Eldas MP Eldas Keynan, and his Kitui South counterpart Rachel Nyamai were picked as acting secretary-general, vice-chairman, and national treasurer, respectively.
Bahati MP Irene Njoki, nominated MP Sabina Chege, nominated Senator Margaret Kamar and Nyamira Woman Rep Jerusha Momanyi were co-opted as National Executive Committee (NEC) members.
In a move to derail Ruto’s plans, Yesterday, former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni, who had been ousted as secretary-general, secured orders from the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal temporarily blocking his suspension.
“All our leaders have a price and the rule of law is not available within our boundaries at the moment. Kenyans need to ask themselves, are you for us or against us? The die is already cast,” said Mr. Kioni.
David Murathe, who was ejected as vice-chairman following a meeting that Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu said was properly convened by the Kega-led group, also secured a reprieve from the tribunal.
Murathe was bullish, saying, they are not bothered by the coup plotted against them in the former ruling party.
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Raila reveals Azimio’s growing mistrust of Ruto’s government
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