By ERICK NGOBILO engobilo@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Monday, January 24 2011 at 21:00
In Summary
- Seek the people’s mandate to lead party, Kombo tells Wetang’ula during weekend rallies
Ford-Kenya politics took centre stage at weekend rallies in Bungoma.
The meetings were addressed by party chairman Musikari Kombo, former Trade minister Mukhisa Kituyi and Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa.
Mr Kombo said he had decided to hand over the two rival leaders - Sirisia MP Moses Wetang’ula and Mr Wamalwa - to the people so that one is picked.
He said Mr Wamalwa had accepted to go back and seek the party’s mandate while Mr Wetang’ula is yet to accept.
“Friends of Mr Wetang’ula should tell him that he needs to seek the mandate of the people,” he said. However, grassroots leaders have accused Mr Kombo of failing to resolve the party dispute.
Webuye parliamentary aspirant Johnstone Walubengo said Mr Kombo, as party chairman, had failed to reconcile Mr Wetang’ula and Mr Wamalwa and should therefore just quit his position.
He said the party chairman created a rift the day he declared Mr Wamalwa as his preferred choice for the position of chairman.
Other leaders said Ford-K, being the only party that belongs to the Luhya community, needed to be revamped.
Dr Kituyi said the fire in Ford-K needed to be put out before 2012. Some leaders, he claimed, wanted to take over Ford-K so that they could sell it in exchange for Cabinet positions.
Remain beyond 2012
Dr Kituyi said the other faction wanted to make the party stronger ahead of the 2012 General Election.
“Ford-K should remain beyond 2012.”
The party would not join any other party but instead other parties should join it, said the former minister.
“A river never pours into a stream. It’s the other way round.” The wrangles in the party found themselves back to the registrar of political parties.
Mr Wamalwa said party elders who had been tasked with reconciling the wrangling leaders had been stopped from transacting any further activities until the dispute was resolved by the registrar.
A committee headed by former Cabinet minister Burudi Nabwera was mandated to reconcile party leaders and come up with recommendations concerning elections that had left the party torn down the middle.
The elders had recommended a repeat of elections in only 30 branches but the Kombo and Wamalwa faction rejected the proposal.
Mr Wetang’ula has insisted that grassroots elections were held and there is need for the party to move forward.
“We need to be selfless and sanity should prevail so that we end the wrangles that have continued to weaken the party,” he said.
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