Jennifer Muiruri | Nation Eldoret North MP William Ruto (left) and Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo dance at a UDM party delegates meeting at Nyayo National Stadium on December 21, 2011.
By Nation Reporter
Posted Wednesday, January 4 2012 at 22:00
Posted Wednesday, January 4 2012 at 22:00
Eldoret North MP William Ruto has blamed the wrangles in UDM on external forces “out to destabilise it because of its popularity”.
This is the first time Mr Ruto has admitted that the party was indeed troubled following weeks of squabbles in the National Executive Council (NEC).
The Eldoret North MP, however, asserted that only 10 out of the 50 council members were opposed to holding elections.
He said it was a small clique that had refused to register members in their counties.
“We have some challenges, but they are for success. I have held several meetings with them to try and iron out the issues but they have not budged because they are causing trouble on behalf of their masters,” Mr Ruto told journalists in his Nairobi office.
He said the troubles were occasioned by UDM’s “phenomenal growth which has seen it become a mass party in a few months.”
“The challenge also we have in UDM is that we have very few places where elections were held in 2008, yet the Political Parties Act requires that all party members are registered afresh and the Registrar of Political Parties is furnished with names of officials,” he said.
Mr Ruto insisted the incumbent party officials feared losing their positions and asked how they could legitimately hold onto the offices without members’ mandate.
He said he had withdrawn the staff he had seconded to the party’s headquarters after the renegade group threatened to open a parallel office.
“There is no need to have two offices. I have withdrawn my staff as I have a different presidential campaign office. Let them have a free hand in the office,” he said.
The party has called a NEC meeting on Friday in Nairobi.
He reiterated that UDM would go it alone in the this year’s election and denied some media reports that his recent tour of Kisumu was an indication that he was warming up to ODM.
“You have seen Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka strengthening his Wiper party and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru (Kenyatta) has gone to Naivasha to do the same with Kanu. What is wrong with me strengthening UDM?” he asked.
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