KANU Vice Chairman Gideon Moi after he was installed as a Sabaoti elder. Photo/FILE
By MUCHEMI WACHIRA mwachira@ke.nationmedia.com AND BERNARD NAMUNANE bnamunane@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Friday, December 16 2011 at 22:30
Posted Friday, December 16 2011 at 22:30
Two of the most famous names in Kanu were on Friday locked in a fight for control of the once powerful ruling party. (Read: Kanu set for summit amidst brewing issues)
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the current chairman, and former Baringo Central MP Gideon Moi and their supporters were at the party’s National Executive Council meeting in Naivasha.
It was one of the rare occasions when party leaders came together to deliberate on Kanu though their supporters have been waging a rearguard battle for the party.
Mr Kenyatta is the son of Kenya’s first President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, while Mr Moi is the son of the country’s second President Daniel arap Moi.
Their fathers presided over a strong, single party State, but times have changed with the coming of multi-party politics.
Kanu has struggled to regain its former glory, though the party is part of the PNU Alliance.
Mr Kenyatta was fighting to regain control in Kanu as presidential aspirants stake their 2012 State House ambitions in major political parties.
He faced his critics, Mr Gideon Moi, and Mr Nick Salat, who accused him of abandoning Kanu for the PNU Alliance that supported the candidature of President Kibaki in the last elections.
The group on Friday said that the debate in Saturday's meeting would be more heated when they face off their rivals.
Difficult road ahead
“Mr Kenyatta will have to explain to us why the party has not been campaigning for its candidates during by-elections,” an official from Baringo, who did not want to disclose his name, said.
However the party’s first vice-chairman Marsden Madoka said he expects the meeting to come up with a strategy that will rejuvenate the party in preparations for the General Election.
As a sign of the difficult road ahead of the DPM, retired President Daniel arap Moi, who relinquished the party’s top position for him, stated that he would like to see his beloved Kanu reclaim its position at the heart of the country’s politics without merging with any other.
In a statement through his press secretary Lee Njiru, he said that he would like to see a revived, rejuvenated party hoisted at the centre of political activity and leadership.
“As a staunch member of the party of independence, Mzee’s desire is to see unity, discipline and independence of Kanu,” he said.
Mr Salat accused the Kanu chairman of convening the NEC meeting without giving the 42 members the agenda and said they were to raise issues about the party’s future.
Mr Kenyatta, he submitted, had failed to call meetings of the party’s top organ for the last three years.
“We are going to listen to what he tells us. He called the meeting without giving its agenda to any of us. We have been giving him ideas all long, which he ignores and like any other party, we want to comply with the Constitution and the Political Parties Act,” he said.
He also questioned the invitation of two PNU MPs to attend the meeting at the Great Rift Valley Lodge.
“There are two members from PNU and we don’t know why they are attending the meeting,” he said.
Mr Kenyatta convened the meeting through invitations sent out last week to the surprise of many who have been expecting him to ditch the party.
Mr Salat had declared his intentions to stop the meeting on claims that he was not consulted and asked its sponsors, the National Democratic Institute, to cancel it.
However, organising secretary Justin Muturi has defended Mr Kenyatta saying, “the chairman is mandated by the party constitution to convene such meetings”.
Sources at the meeting said Mr Kenyatta had gained the support of 36 NEC members while those allied to Mr Gideon Moi had five on their side.
Withdraw the cases
It was understood that Mr Salat was to be asked to withdraw the two cases that have been filed in Nairobi and Mombasa law courts.
The case in Mombasa seeks to remove Mr Kenyatta as the party chairman on grounds that he is a public officer.
Mr Kenyatta could be seeking to regain Kanu control since his colleagues in the PNU Alliance — including Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Prof George Saitoti — have positioned themselves strategically in their ‘mother’ parties.
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