URP drops bid to amend Dec 4 coalition deadline

Posted by LABAN WANAMBISI on November 28, 2012

Dujis MP Aden Duale said the party will not support any amendment to the Political Parties Act/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 28 – The United Republican Party (URP) has withdrawn a Motion it filed in Parliament seeking an extension to the December 4 deadline of forming pre-election coalitions.

Dujis MP Aden Duale said the party will not support any amendment to the Political Parties Act.

“URP had an amendment to the Political Parties Act as far as the deadline is concerned, we (withdrew) our amendment yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon from Parliament,” he told a news conference after the party unveiled its National Elections Board.

A section of MPs allied to The National Alliance (TNA) and URP wanted to extend the deadline from next Tuesday, December 4 to January 4.

The 30-day extension, they had argued, was to give presidential hopefuls William Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta more time to woo other political leaders, and form a formidable team, capable of clinching the presidency in the first round.

Duale expressed confidence that the Kenyatta and Ruto-led parties will deposit their coalition agreement with the Registrar of Political Parties before the Tuesday deadline.

“URP is a party that respects the rule of law; we are compliant with that date and we are going to sign a coalition with like-minded political parties,” he said.

Duale who is also the URP spokesman was categorical that a deal had been reached and will be unveiled by the deadline.

Kenyatta’s office was on Tuesday forced to retract a statement announcing a coalition deal with Ruto.

The saga started when the Director of Communications at the DPM’s Office Munyori Buku, sent a statement to newsrooms saying a coalition deal had been struck between the two ICC-indicted politicians.

“Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto have a pre-election deal. The deal will be unveiled on Sunday, December 2, 2012 at the Afraha Open Grounds, Nakuru at 2pm,” the initial statement indicated.

Buku said the two leaders had agreed on an alliance whose goals would be national unity, prosperity for all Kenyans and reconciliation. The pact, he disclosed, was to offer a definite and clear roadmap of making Kenya an economic powerhouse in the region, Africa and the world in the next decade.

Things took a different turn when hours later, another statement was sent to journalists clarifying that the initial dispatch was “inaccurate.”

“The fact is that negotiations are still going on and when a deal is reached, it will be the prerogative of the party principals to announce it.”

“I apologise for the earlier communication,” he ended.