Eldoret North MP William Ruto's hopes of becoming the United Democratic Movement's presidential candidate next year are fading fast as rebellion in the party leadership continues to grow.
The party’s top organ, National Executive Council (NEC), is increasingly alienating itself from Ruto and has — on two occasions in as many weeks — refused to set the date for the grassroots elections.
Ruto is pushing for the party to hold its grassroots election to ensure that individuals whom he has already identified take up key party positions. However, the NEC has been resisting these attempts and refused to set the date for elections accusing Ruto of attempting to impose party leaders.
On Wednesday, as the Eldoret North MP hosted UDM Nairobi delegates at Nyayo National Stadium, all but one of the NEC members — Majembe Majanja — did not attend the meeting.
At the same time, the NEC was holding a parallel meeting and discussed how they would foil Ruto's plans to impose officials during elections scheduled to be held early next year.
The meeting held at the Gracia Hotel lasted for over six hours. Instead of setting the date for party elections, the NEC appointed a five-member committee chaired by deputy chairman Charfano Morkku to come up with modalities of going to the polls.
“The NEC has resolved to appoint a committee which will report back to it by end of January to come up with modalities of holding grassroots elections,” chairman Joseph Chirchir said.
However, a senior NEC member said the establishment of the committee was just a public relations exercise as the party had no intentions of holding elections until December 2013 when the five-year term of the current officials runs out. The current NEC was elected in December 2008.
“Again there is a case pending in court about elections of the party. These two factors are working against drawing any election timetable now,” the NEC member added.
Party chairman Joseph Chirchir, secretary general Martin Kamwaro, treasurer Yusuf Abdi, Morkku are among those who are opposed to Ruto's plan to have his hand-picked individuals take over the party leadership. Vice chairman Millicent Nyaboke and Reverend Paul Cheboi have remained neutral over the matter.
In an attempt to distance themselves from Ruto, some of the NEC officials on Wednesday decided they would open a parallel party office at the former Red Card Centre in Upper Hill and abandon the one at Lavington which they claim has been hijacked by Ruto and his team.
Chirchir and Kamwaro denied the opening of another party headquarters was an indication of the growing rift between the party officials and Ruto. The two confirmed that the UDM was mulling over the possibility of opening another party office "as the party is growing."
“We may need an office purely for secretariat support services, or offices for the party leader and his deputies or even the Pentagon of the party,” Chirchir said.Another meeting scheduled to be held on January 16 next year is expected to resolve these issues.
One of the top officials actively opposed to Ruto's plan to impose leaders on the party yesterday said; "We are not pushing him aside. He wanted to displace the officials and come up with his own lineup yet he has no control of the NEC."
UDM’s only MP Hellen Sambili downplayed suggestions that there was a growing rift between the party membership and Ruto. "The party is increasingly becoming popular and we are all committed to remaining united. We want to assure the country and our supporters that UDM is a committed and united force that is building itself towards next year’s election,” she said.
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Indeed the politician in kenya bigger than the party. the right way is that the party should be bigger than the politician. hon ruto needs therefore to "changanya" again.
ReplyDeleteThey should allow Ruto to take over the party and build it, since without him the party is as good as dead.
ReplyDeleteRuto exit and that's it for UDM.
ReplyDelete