CLOSE allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta are involved in the removal of TNA party chairman Johnson Sakaja.
The TNA National Oversight Board has appointed the party’s vice chair Lydia Mokaya as acting TNA chairman although Sakaja, now a nominated MP, maintains he is still the bona fide chair.
The Oversight Board comprises Mokaya, deputy treasurer Dennis Kirwa, public policy secretary Mohammed Abdullahi, deputy organizing secretary Genesio Mugo and deputy secretary general Charles Waithaka.
While the five are the public faces of those behind Sakaja's removal, two influential personalities considered very close to President Kenyatta are said to be the force behind the move.
“The spirit of the constitution is that party officials cannot be state officers. It does not matter if you are a selected or appointed or whatever. An MP is a state officer,” said one insider yesterday.
“He can remain as the party chairman so long as he relinquishes his position as a nominated MP, but he cannot be both. You can take that to the bank,” said the individual who denied that there was any malice in the move.
He said the TNA top echelons wanted to ensure that the running of party affairs remained in the hands of non-MPs.
On May 20, national officials resolved after a five hour meeting at the Uhuru Kenyatta Center to give Sakaja an ultimatum to resign by June 9 or face "forceful eviction" following his nomination to Parliament.
The oversight board said the TNA constitution and the Political Parties Act do not permit state officers to serve as party officials.
Sakaja still insists that he is not an appointed state officer and therefore can still serve as the TNA party chairman.
He has now scheduled a meeting of the TNA parliamentary group this weekend at Lake Elementaita Lodge to present his case.
Yesterday, Uhuru allies of Uhuru said Sakaja had requested for time to decide whether to comply with the demands of the oversight board.
Sakaja had indicated he would go to court to challenge the Oversight Board's claim that he was a state officer by virtue of his nomination.
The board also said that only the Majority Chief Whip Katoo ole Metito could convene a parliamentary group meeting.
“The ultimatum lapsed on June 11 and Sakaja never moved to court. Legally he is no longer the chairman of the party and he cannot therefore purport to call for a parliamentary group meeting,” said Uhuru’s ally.
Apparently the powers-that-be in TNA consider that Sakaja has outlived his mandate of giving TNA a national face before the last election.
"He did this well and was rewarded for it by being nominated as an MP. But he still wants more. He should leave the party to its owners now,” said another party insider.
Individuals who helped Uhuru to establish TNA in 2012 have now bounced back and are demanding full control of the party. These are the same people who headhunted Sakaja to become party chairman.
“The party has been patient with the former chairman Sakaja for a long time. He has continually displayed arrogance and completely ignored the party's constitution, its structures and procedures. It is appalling that an immediate former chairman of such an esteemed political institution can attempt to subvert the rule of law,” said Mokaya and the Oversight Board on Monday.
They said the TNA should follow legitimate procedures for handling its activities.
“We refer to ourselves as the digital generation. Digitization does not only mean iPads, iPhones, and laptops. Digitization also means a modern and new way of handling socio-political and economic matters,” said Mokaya.
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