PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI (From L to R) Deputy Prime Ministers Musalia Mudavadi, Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto after presenting their pre-election coalition agreement to the Registrar of Political Parties on December 4, 2012. The Jubilee coalition's fate will be determined December 31, 2012 at a meeting with the Registrar of Political Parties. NATION MEDIA GROUP
By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Sunday, December 30 2012 at 11:47
Posted Sunday, December 30 2012 at 11:47
The fate of the Jubilee coalition bringing together The National Alliance (TNA) and the United Republican Forum (URP) and its estranged partner, the United Democratic Forum (UDF) will be determined Monday at a meeting with the Registrar of Political Parties.
On Sunday, parties to the dispute confirmed that they will attend the arbitration talks to be chaired by the Registrar Lucy Ndung’u at her offices.
“We will definitely attend the meeting, why not? We want to hear what they (UDF) have to say,” URP chairman Francis Kaparo told the Nation.
The outcome of the dispute could have major implications on the candidatures of both the Jubilee coalition presidential candidate Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate Eldoret North MP William Ruto.
It could also have implications on Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi's eligibility to run as the UDF presidential candidate which is set to be endorsed by the party’s delegates at the Bomas of Kenya on Friday.
Ms Ndung’u has previously stated that nothing stops Mr Mudavadi from disengaging from the Jubilee coalition and running on a UDF ticket so long as the procedures set out in the coalition’s terms of engagement are followed properly.
Speaking on Saturday, UDF Secretary General Dan Ameyo said the party will face off with their erstwhile allies at the registrar’s office.
“The Registrar has summoned both parties to her office on Monday. I don’t want to pre-empt the outcome of the arbitration exercise,’ he stated.
The Registrar summoned the warring parties to the meeting after UDF petitioned her office, challenging its ouster from the coalition by TNA and URP.
UDF officials declared a nullity last weekend’s nomination of Mr Kenyatta as the coalition’s presidential candidate saying they were not involved in the exercise as provided for in the power sharing agreement signed between the three parties.
Ms Ndung’u told the Nation on Friday that she had written to Mr Kenyatta, Mr Mudavadi and Mr Ruto following a protest note by UDF.
“I have called them to my office on Monday so that we can look at the agreement and seek ways available for conflict resolution,” she said.
The same day, UDF top brass held a day-long meeting after which they called on Ms Ndung’u to step in, saying Mr Kenyatta’s nomination did not have their consent.
While calling on the Registrar to intervene, Mr Ameyo said: “This country must be run by credible leaders. If you are a leader and you break the law then the law must protect the innocent.”
He noted that Ms Ndung’u was the custodian of coalition agreements and implementer of the Political Parties Act.
“The ball is now on the RPP’s court to tell Kenyans whether Uhuru is duly nominated or not,” Mr Ameyo said.
Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale said Mr Kenyatta could not purport to be a candidate of a non-existent coalition since UDF fell out with TNA/URP.
But TNA/URP has maintained Mr Mudavadi’s claim had no basis in law.
Prof Kithure Kindiki, a legal adviser of the coalition and an aspirant for the Tharaka-Nithi senate seat, said, “Section 2 of the Third Schedule to the Political Parties Act as read together with Article 12.4 of the Coalition Agreement in question requires that any coalition agreement or amendments thereto must be approved by the governing bodies- or highest decision making organs -of the parties involved.”
He also argued that “candidates can agree on who is to run and who will not but that is the furthest they can go".
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