Jubilee wars: Kanini Kega ‘cancels’ Uhuru meeting

Infighting in the Jubilee Party have intensified after a faction led by East African Legislative Assembly lawmaker Kanini Kega suspended a Special National Delegates Convention called by the party leader-former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Kega-led faction and another led by former Ndaragwa legislator Jeremiah Kioni are fighting over the soul of the former ruling party.

In a statement signed by Mr Kega, the group said the party will issue a notice convening a Special National Delegates Convention.

“Take notice that the Jubilee Party National Executive Committee (NEC) has suspended the notice for a Special National Delegates Conference published in the print media on April 29,” read part of the communique signed by Mr Kega.

“The party will in due course issue a notice convening a Special National Delegates Conference pursuant to the resolution of NEC dated February 2023,” further stated the statement.

A section of Jubilee members allied to the EALA MP, who is jostling for the Secretary-General position with Mr Kioni, has opposed the scheduled National Delegates Conference (NDC).

On April 29, Mr Kenyatta called for the special meeting which he said will be held on May 22.

In a notice signed by Mr Kenyatta, the party stated the agenda of the conference was to review, formulate and approve party policies; receive a status report from the National Executive Committee and consider and approve any other matters.

The notice was also posted on the party's Twitter handle. The conference is expected to take place at the Bomas of Kenya from 10am.

Last week, the former president was ousted as the Jubilee party leader as the wrangles in the former ruling party escalated.

The Kanini Kega-led faction of the party said former Murang’a Woman Rep Sabina Chege is the new party leader in an acting capacity following a National Executive Council (NEC) held last Tuesday.

“Uhuru Kenyatta is no longer our party leader,” Kega said after the meeting in Nairobi, “we have replaced him with Sabina Chege.”

The party has been rocked by leadership wrangles after Mr Kega clashed with Mr Kioni who is the bonafide Secretary-General of the former ruling party.

Jubilee Party Vice-Chairman Adan Keynan said the fate of besieged Kioni lies with the party’s internal dispute resolution committee.

This is after the Political Parties Tribunal declined to quash NEC’s resolution that installed Mr Kega as his replacement.

Last month, the party was also ordered to vacate the premises they currently use as party headquarters after the factions clashed.

This came after a group led by MP Kega was spotted throwing stones and other objects into the building in Kileleshwa after allegedly being denied entry.

A subsequent statement from the property's owner ordered the party to leave the premises, claiming that they had violated the lease terms.

The Jubilee Party's NEC made changes on February 10, replacing Mr Kioni with Mr Kega. The Registrar of Political Parties approved the changes, but the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal overturned them.

Mr Kioni, along with the party's Vice Chairperson David Murathe and National Treasurer Kagwe Gichohi, had been suspended due to their conduct of the political outfit’s affairs.

At the NEC meeting, the party decided that MP Kega would replace Kioni, MP Keynan would replace Murathe, and Raychel Nyamai would serve as National Treasurer in an acting capacity.