Locked out of Pangani, DP Ruto allies now find new office

Allies of Deputy President William Ruto are working to operationalise the Jubilee Asili Centre, a place they want to act as the DP’s 2022 presidential campaigns nerve centre.

The Nation has established that, the DP’s team wants the office on Makindu Road in Nairobi's Kilimani estate to fill the gap created by the lack of access to the Jubilee headquarters in Pangani.

“Jubilee Asili Centre is going to serve three purposes: Providing a workplace for Tangatanga brigade to brainstorm on a raft of issues; serve as the headquarters we will eventually use and lastly, the presidential campaigns centre for the DP,” Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono said.

In June, the DP hosted Tangatanga lawmakers at the centre, just after the leaders had been de-whipped from plum party positions in both the Senate and the National Assembly. Leaders allied to the DP Wednesday confirmed that the centre will start operations in two weeks.

Press briefings

The Jubilee Asili Centre, Belgut MP Nelson Koech said, will also be used to hold press briefings as well as receiving the defectors of other parties.

The centre is said to be the brainchild of Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir that has now received widespread support.

“We are not talking about exiting Jubilee yet. We are still in Jubilee, and this space is to allow us to ventilate and plan ahead, whichever way the Jubilee journey goes,” said Soy MP Caleb Kositany.

Some of those roped in to spearhead its visibility and use are former senators Johnston Muthama (Machakos), Boni Khalwale (Kakamega), and Hassan Omar (Mombasa). They will, together with the established Tangatanga crew led by Mr Kositany in the National Assembly and Mr Kipchumba Murkomen in the Senate, coordinate grassroots mobilization campaigns.

Mr Kositany, who has become the de-facto spokesman of the group, said renovations at the centre were being finalised. According to Mr Koech, the centre was about providing an alternative voice within Jubilee Party.

“We, as people who do not believe in what the likes of David Murathe are doing, want to have an alternative voice but within the party a,” said Mr Koech. He added: “Most of our people have been intimidated by deep state and government operatives.”

Party

Besides the nerve centre, there is another issue the DP’s team will need to address—the party with which the DP will seek the country’s highest seat.

With the likelihood of Jubilee being his party of choice dimming given his deteriorating relationship with President Uhuru Kenyatta, and given the fact that the DP has made strong indications that he does not want to resign from the party and his position—just yet—his teams are looking at other parties to be snapped up when the opportune time strikes.

The Service Party (TSP) of former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri is among the political outfits identified as possible vehicles for the DP.

Friends of Dr Ruto also hinted the DP might use the Party of Reforms and Development (PDR), which is associated with Garissa Township MP Aden Duale or the New Democrats, linked to former Marakwet West MP David Kiprono Sudi, among others.

According to Mr Sudi, the DP has shown interest in using the New Democrats come 2022, noting the escalating tensions within the ruling party were unhealthy for Dr Ruto’s 2022 State House bid.

“There two other political parties that have been registered by ordinary people which DP is likely to use come 2022 but we have agreed to protect them because the moment they are known, the deep state will start to frustrate them like what happened in Ford-Kenya recently,” said one of the MPs who requested for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

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