Lawmakers allied to Deputy President William Ruto yesterday reacted angrily at the suggestion by Jubilee Secretary-General Raphael Tuju that the DP would be removed as deputy party leader.
The MPs who accompanied Dr Ruto to the burial of Esther Toyoi Kipkuna Tergat, the mother of Marathon champion Paul Tergat at her Kabarak home in Nakuru, county instead called for Mr Tuju’s immediate dismissal.
Toyoi, 95, died at Mediheal Hospital in Nakuru last week.
When he rose to address the mourners, Dr Ruto steered clear of the wrangles in the ruling party.
However, Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen ignited the fire by demanding the immediate dismissal of Mr Tuju and Jubilee Vice-Chairman David Murathe.
“These are divisive characters determined to rock the Jubilee boat. How can a man who is just a custodian of Jubilee, threaten to expel the deputy party leader? Tuju cannot stop us from accessing Jubilee offices. We shall be there any time we want,” Mr Murkomen said.
“We put him there. We are the reason he is the Jubilee secretary general. Jubilee is ours and we are ready to restore sanity in the party.”
Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir and Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika threatened to occupy Jubilee headquarters from Monday.
“Jubilee is not a private entity. We will occupy the offices because Jubilee is our party,” Mr Korir said.
Ms Kihika called Mr Tuju an Orange Democratic Movement sympathiser “out to create confusion in Jubilee”.
“We want to send him where he belongs,” she said.
“We will not relent in our fight to restore sanity in Jubilee. We are determined to do anything to save our party.”
“Let us embrace politics of development. We agreed during the formation of Jubilee that the leadership of this country would not be based on tribalism, hate or division but unity and prosperity,” he said.
“The conversation must change as we head to 2022. We don’t want to continue talking about positions for powerful people. Let us dwell on how we can create jobs.”
Dr Ruto’s storming of Jubilee headquarters together with 38 MPs on Thursday was condemned by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s supporters.
He has resolved to work from the Pangani-based office at least two times a week “and kick out hijackers”.
It was the third time Dr Ruto visited the office in less than two weeks, as he puts up a spirited fight to regain control of the party “from cartels and busybodies holding Jubilee hostage”.
The group allied to the DP – popularly known as Tangatanga – asked President Kenyatta to dissolve the National Assembly and Senate as advised by Chief Justice David Maraga.
“The Chief justice said we have failed to enact the two-thirds gender rule, so we should go home and seek a fresh mandate. The President has no option but to follow the advice,” Ms Kihika said.
“We need development and jobs for our people. Let the government use the funds it intends to waste in Huduma Namba to empower citizens economically,” Mogotio MP Daniel Tuitoek said.
Meanwhile, the Tangatanga brigade is banking on grassroot elections to finally wrest Jubilee from the Tuju team.
DP Ruto and his allies believe the elections will give them a chance to reclaim their position in Jubilee, following months of push and pull between the Kieleweke team that leans towards the President.
Deputy Secretary General Caleb Kositany yesterday said the Ruto band is banking on the party vote to get rid of “brokers and conmen”.
He said Tangatanga leaders would not let anybody dictate who the 2022 Jubilee presidential candidate will be.
“The time for Jubilee elections is now. With Covid-19 curve flattening, people should be allowed to own political parties,” Mr Kositany said.
“They do not want to call the elections, fearing our win. The law will take its course if they refuse to call the elections.”
Belgut MP Nelson Koech told the Saturday Nation that he and other leaders took the decision to storm the Jubilee offices for a reason.
“We continue to remit monthly contributions to Jubilee but no activities are going on. We wanted to be told when the party will conduct grassroot elections,” Mr Koech said.
“With grace period given elapsing, the deputy party leader pledged to act on the issues raised by Jubilee members.”
Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono and his Aldai counterpart Cornelius Serem said the meeting at the party headquarters was to discuss future of Jubilee and President Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.
“Party elections will help us get rid of people like Tuju and Murathe who are frustrating the DP. Nobody will vote for them because the more than eight million party supporters have seen the way they are running Jubilee,” Mr Rono said.
Mr Murathe recently said Dr Ruto is plotting to install himself as the party presidential candidate using “puppet” officials.
“He had been positioning his people strategically. They were going to organise sham grassroot elections the way they rigged the party nominations and install their people from constituency to county levels,” Mr Murathe said.
“Once national party organs are convened, they would endorse Ruto the candidate. We had to rescue Jubilee from such machinations.”
Political analyst Javas Bigambo said the call for elections sounds noble and is part of the perpetuation of internal party democracy.
“However, it means they have lost control of the party, including the control of decision-making. The party control system will not allow such elections now. They will wait until superior voices determine the elections,” Mr Bigambo said.
Mr Serem said the group allied to Dr Ruto would be meeting more often to focus on the party well-being and helping Mr Kenyatta cement his legacy.
“We will be meeting to deliberate on a number of Jubilee programmes which have not been accomplished,” he said.
“When we met at the party headquarters on Thursday, we discussed the revitalisation of Jubilee through elections,” Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa said yesterday.
