THE Jubilee alliance is setting up a political arm to respond to the opposition's criticism of the government. The Star has established that the naming of the Jubilee spokesperson was postponed on Thursday until the joint TNA-URP Political Affairs Office is in place.
There are also reports that a merger between the two parties is being discussed. Sources in the alliance told the Star that among those identified to be part of the political team are former Speaker Francis Kaparo from URP and former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana from TNA.
Others to be included, and who will be the link to the Presidency, are political adviser Joshua Kuttuny and long-serving State House adviser Nancy Gitau.
Mungatana was to be unveiled as the spokesman Thursday, with Kaparo as the chairman of the team. "There is a feeling that we need to make wider consultations on the matter before making a final decision on how to handle the issue," a senior Jubilee official told the Star.
The strategy is that the spokesman will be issuing political statements to counter what Cord says, especially if it concerns issues Cabinet Secretaries cannot respond to.
At a press conference at the Jubilee Centre in Westlands, TNA secretary general Onyango Oloo said interviews are going on. "In a week's time, we will announce the person," Oloo said.
He said the selection panel comprising officials from both URP and TNA had narrowed down to three people "whose names will be kept secret for now." However, Oloo revealed the candidates are two men and a woman.
When Star arrived at the venue, Mungatana was walking out of the offices. The Star has established that URP has not been happy with the ongoing consultations both in setting up the Political Affairs Office and in the proposed merger.
There were no URP officials at the press conference. Contacted for a comment, Kaparo, who is the URP chairman, said he was not aware of the event. "I am in the village now doing farm work," he said on the phone.
The proposed merger between TNA and URP is said to be driven by people close to President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto who want to take control of their 2017 bid.
Elected leaders from Central Kenya are reported to have been making attempts to take over the President's TNA party from the group of non-politicians who led it before the March 4 general election.
The politicians have suggested that if they cannot easily take over TNA, the best option is to engage URP and merge the two parties ahead of the 2017 elections.
The latest discussion over the matter is said to have taken place at a hotel on the Thika Superhighway on Tuesday after Uhuru opened a hospital in his Gatundu home area.
The group of senators and MPs stopped over at the hotel where they exchanged ideas with other political operatives from Central Kenya on Uhuru's political future.
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