We are ready for Jubilee divorce, Ruto allies tell Uhuru men
Some MPs allied to Deputy President William Ruto are daring Jubilee Party to kick United Democratic Alliance out of their coalition pact.
Jubilee has written to the parties' registrar to cancel their agreement with the Party of Development and Reforms which has rebranded as UDA.
The Ruto allies have said that they were not doing anything wrong championing UDA since it was a Jubilee partner.
But the move by Jubilee has jolted them to action and they say they will not 'waste' time challenging the party's decision in court.
Instead, they said, they would be ready to pay the ultimate price including defending their parliamentary seats in by-elections.
The MPs seats are hanging by a thread following the effort by President Uhuru Kenyatta's confidants to end the deal with PDR.
The law bars members of any given party from championing the interests of another outfit or associating with a different political ideology.
The DP's lieutenants have dared Uhuru to proceed and disengage with UDA claiming they were not worried about the political consequences.
“Some of us are ready to even go and defend our seats, let them proceed and do whatever they want,” Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi said.
Sudi downplayed Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju's move to cut off the Jubilee ties with UDA.
“Let them not try to imagine that we are fools when we are investing in UDA. We will even be better off as UDA without any Jubilee association,” the MP said.
Sudi spoke as Tuju defended the Jubilee party's decision to break ranks with UDA.
The Cabinet minister said the decision to start divorce proceedings was informed by PDR's — now UDA— move to go against a binding agreement.
For instance, Tuju said, the party contravened the coalition agreement when it fielded candidates in various by-elections outside some specific counties.
Tuju said Jubilee had already written to the Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu notifying her of the new position.
He noted that given the circumstances, UDA was a strange bedfellow that must be kicked out before 'dawn.'
“We felt conned. We had made an agreement to participate together in the counties of Wajir, West Pokot, Garissa, Isiolo and Marsabit to deal with clan democracy. But all of a sudden we find ourselves in a situation where were are facing PDR/ UDA in Nakuru, Naivasha and other regions,” Tuju told KTN news on Tuesday night.
Image: ALICE WAITHERA
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, an ally of Ruto, told the Star that the President's wing of the Jubilee was at liberty to continue with the process to divorce UDA.
“A divorce would be a sigh of relief. They have done the worse. We are ready for the worst. Our political future is in UDA and we have no time for what they are trying to do,” Nyoro said.
According to the MP, Tangatanga will not waste time and energy fighting any decision in court but will instead concentrate on building the hustler movement ahead of the 2022 polls.
“They can do whatever they want and as they please, we don't care,” he said.
He questioned why action had not been taken against some Jubilee members who campaigned for rival parties in Msambweni and Kibra by-elections.
Soy MP Caleb Kositany said Tangatanga MPs will use the UDA party to defend their seats in the 2022 General Election although they are members of Jubilee -at least for now.
“We will face them head-on. This is part of the Jubilee intimidation. We will continue with our association with the UDA party,” Kositany said.
Last Month, Kositany was the last of Ruto allies kicked out Jubilee leadership when he lost his deputy secretary general position, in escalating wrangles pitting the faction allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta and that of his deputy.
Kositany was replaced with Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny, a key Ruto critic.
In a recent interview with Citizen TV, Ruto said he has a different plan if he is ousted as the Jubilee deputy party leader.
He said he would use UDA as his political vehicle for the 2022 General Election in which he is eyeing the presidency.
“If it gets to a point where they do not want us to be there in Jubilee, then we must have a different plan. You cannot wait to hit a wall. From now on, if there is no agreement, then we will plan ourselves with UDA. We have built UDA in partnership with Jubilee. It is not us starting afresh. We are just going on with what we already have,” Ruto said.
In the run-up to the 2017 elections, Jubilee had entered an arrangement of cooperation with PDR in West Pokot, Wajir, Isiolo, Garissa and Mandera where the Party had experienced the challenge of clan guided democracy.
Among those who were elected on PDR ticket include Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo and Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi. BY THE STAR
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