Changes to the Jubilee Party leadership in the Senate will have to wait after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) on Tuesday suspended the execution of a coalition pact between the ruling party and KANU.
In a letter, the tribunal certified as urgent an appeal lodged by Jubilee Deputy Party Secretary-General Susan Kihika, Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali, and Albert Mutai.
“In the interest of justice an interim order be and is hereby issued declaring that any decision or action founded on the coalition agreement purportedly signed by the two parties and deposited on May 4 is null, void and has no effect,” the ruling read in part.
According to the tribunal, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling party must convene for the decision to be reached.
On Monday, Deputy President William Ruto’s allies maintained that the meeting organised at State House where the changes were effected was illegal adding that the National Executive Council (NEC) had not met for three years. They maintained that a majority of senators had given the meeting a wide berth.
Consequently, the four complainants were ordered to serve the Notice of Motion application, supporting affidavit sworn by Kositany and all the annexed documents, and the Appeal filed upon the respondents and interested parties within three days.
The Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu was listed as the 1st respondent with Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju and Nelson Dzuya, acting Jubilee Chairman listed as the second and third respondents respectively.
The Jubilee Party and Kanu have been listed as the 1st and 2nd interested parties, respectively.
Tuju and Dzuya have also been barred from making any coalition agreements on behalf of the Jubilee Party without a valid, formal resolution of a duly convened National Executive Committee.
Should this be undertaken, the tribunal said, it should be and in strict compliance with the provisions of Regulation 21 of the Political Parties (Registration) Regulations, 2019 and Article 32.2 of the Jubilee Party Constitution.
Kositany is also not done. He has written to the Political Parties Registrar Ann Nderitu asking her to nuliffy the pact between Jubilee and KANU.
“Please be informed that the aforementioned Agreement is not compliant with the Jubilee Constitution and the Political Parties Act, therefore it is null and void, ” Kositany wrote in a letter dated Monday, May 11.
Changes
In a State House meeting which President Uhuru Kenyatta attended, Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen was axed as Senate Majority Leader and replaced by West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio while Senate Majority Whip Susan Kihika was booted in favour of Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata.
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