ELDORET North MP William Ruto has started to reactivate the United Democratic Movement party as his vehicle for his 2012 presidential bid even though its chairman Gen John Koech has not been deposed.
On Thursday he attended a meeting with around 40 of the 52 National Executive Committee members where elaborate plans to popularize the party were discussed. East Africa Cooperation minister Hellen Sambili, the only MP of UDM in Parliament, was in attendance along with six ODM rebel MPs. The four-hour meeting took place at a home belonging to a former Rift Valley MP on Tigoni Road in Kilimani, Nairobi.
The behind-the-scenes meeting was an introductory briefing that agreed to go ahead and conduct grass root party elections at a date to be announced later.
The meeting also explored possibilities of going to court to force out General Koech out of the party chairmanship. "We want to move on and popularize this party despite the fact that we have a dispute at the Registrar of Political Parties. If the registrar takes too long to rule on the matter, we will go to court to seek the court's intervention. We are running late and the earlier we get moving the better," said the UDM Secretary-General Martin Ole Kamwaro.
The delay in conclusively removing ousted party chairman Koech has prevented Ruto from carrying out his repeated public promise that he will quit ODM lead by Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
ODM rebel MPs Aden Duale (Dujis), Isaac Rutto (Chepalungu), Luka Kigen (Rongai), Charles Keter (Belgut), Jackson Kiptanui (Keiyo South) and David Koech (Mosop) were present at the Thursday meeting along Kanu MP Kazungu Kambi (Kaloleni) and Sambili. The MPs reportedly committed themselves to working closely with UDM and to come up with strategy to popularize it ahead of the 2012 elections.
The meeting agreed to change the party's symbol, a milk can, in preference for one with national appeal. “Members felt that the current symbol portrays the party as only for the people of the Rift Valley who are cattle farmers. So we resolved to change the symbol,” the source said. A party sub-committee was appointed to come up with the symbol and met yesterday evening at a Nairobi hotel to start work. Kamwaro briefed the meeting on the ongoing case at the political parties tribunal.
The meeting discussed alternative ways of dealing with the case if the tribunal sided with Koech. Koech, an ally of Raila, was replaced in a bloodless coup last November and replaced by Ruto ally and former Knut chairman Joseph Chirchir. But Koech has filed a case with the tribunal chaired by Peter Simani that his removal was illegal and that he should be reinstated. The tribunal should have sat last Thursday but postponed the session to June 20.
Ruto and his team are worried that they might eventually lose the case. “It was felt that Simani’s tribunal may reinstate Koech and therefore deal a major blow to mheshimiwa (Ruto) and thus we looked at other options,” an official who attended the meeting said.
The group also discussed the option of looking for or registering an alternative party in case Koech wins. “We are concerned that the tribunal seems not keen to settle the crisis and this has created several schools of thought,” Joshua Kutuny said yesterday at Palriament Buildings
The Cherangany MP would not reveal the alternative options under consideration but said, “let's cross the bridge when we get there”. Kambi told journalists he was ready to join Ruto’s party as it seemed Ruto phobia had gripped Kenya. “People seem to be talking about Ruto, Ruto, Ruto. What is it that they have seen? I am ready to join his party,” Kambi said before leaving for the meeting to search for the new party symbol.
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