By Mwaniki Munuhe
The stage has been set for The National Alliance to raid its rival parties in the Mount Kenya region for talent, we can report.
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta plans to push ahead with a plot to demolish the region’s smaller parties ahead of nominations.
This follows a retreat last weekend that agreed on new rules of engagement that are expected to give TNA members a free hand in sweeping away Members of Parliament they do not want. MPs in parties allied to TNA lost an attempt to influence nominations despite intense lobbying.
Determined to attract the strongest candidates to his party, Uhuru, a TNA presidential aspirant, insisted his party would allow all its members to vote for their preferred candidates in grassroots nominations.
TNA has registered over 150,000 members – the highest number of any party – and plans to sign up tens of thousands more countrywide before nominations. Most of the party’s national rivals are considering various delegate systems instead of the popular but costly universal suffrage.
“The majority of MPs (at the Naivasha retreat) were looking for a way they can avoid going to the ground for nominations,” said a source who attended the meeting. “But the boss (Uhuru) refused and insisted the nominations would be done the same way the party did in Kangema, through the universal suffrage – one-man-one-vote principle.”
Uhuru’s position, which was strongly supported by TNA members hoping to run for the first time, upset legislators who wanted a delegates plan that would have seen them get nomination tickets more easily.
The Deputy PM hopes to run for president in March 2013, despite facing charges at the International Criminal Court and a pending eligibility challenge before the local courts.
TNA’s next move will be to invite all aspirants for all political positions, regardless of their political parties, for a joint meeting ostensibly to woo them into the party.
The plan is to ensure, where possible, the strongest candidates get a TNA ticket allowing the party to take a majority of the elective seats during the General Election.
The move will be a major blow to parties in central Kenya whose leaders support Uhuru’s presidential bid, but want to have candidates run for various seats.
The parties are expected to witness a series of defections in the next few weeks ahead of a membership deadline on eligibility for party nominations.
Already, TNA has pulled ODM nominated MP Rachel Shebesh. There are reports Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, former Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo, and Kamkunji aspirant Ibrahim Ahmed, all also in ODM, are headed the same direction.
Also expected to join TNA is former Cabinet minister and PNU key official Maina Kamanda and ODM Dagoretti aspirant and comedian John Kiarie. But speaking to The Standard On Saturday, Kiarie would not confirm or deny the allegation. “All I can tell you is the current official position,” he said.
“I am ODM’s organising secretary in Nairobi. But that doesn’t mean we have not been approached.” ODM leader Raila Odinga is holding a meeting for Nairobi politicians today to battle this onslaught.
A meeting for all aspirants from all political parties organised by TNA’s Mutava Musyimi committee took place in Nyeri on Thursday. Another aspirants meeting nationwide has been organised by TNA’s national aspirants co-ordinator Alice Nga’ng’a, who recently decamped from presidential candidate Peter Kenneth’s party, at Ufungamano on Monday.
“At least 600 aspirants had confirmed by yesterday that they would be attending,” she said. “We don’t mind your party. As long as you are an aspirant, please come. As TNA, we are governed by transparency and accountability. No aspirant will have an upper hand (over others in the nominations) and that you can take that to the bank.”
It is understood that following the meeting, Party of National Unity is considering approaching TNA for joint nominations.
A senior official of PNU said two key officials met and agreed to work with TNA, but a final position would be made on Monday. Prior to making the move,
The Standard On Saturday learnt that Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi met a senior PNU official to discuss a possible coalition arrangement. However, PNU declined to form an alliance with Alliance Party of Kenya because it does not have a presidential candidate and, thus, “does not add any value”.
TNA chairman Johnson Sakaja confirmed that his party is approaching all aspirants regardless of their parties to join and take part in TNA nominations.
“We want all aspirants to come and take part in TNA nominations regardless of their current parties. The idea is that no one person will have an advantage over the other. We want free and fair grassroots nominations.”
The MPs, who met in Naivasha, pushed for suspension of TNA branch elections ostensibly to open a negotiating window for parties that may want to participate in joint nominations. The meeting thus resolved to instead form consultative forums across the 47 counties to constantly consult.
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