Dispute looms in TNA, URP over county posts

By Kipchumba Kemei

Cracks have emerged in the Jubilee Coalition following a dispute over which counties URP and TNA would share.

The differences played out on Friday in Narok County following an announcement by TNA secretariat that the region was a URP zone.

In a meeting that was called to harmonise the nomination between the two parties at a Narok town hotel, TNA aspirants were appalled when they were told the party would not field candidates for all the seats in the region.

The announcement by party chairman Johnson Sakaja angered the contestants, prompting a walk out. Former Internal Security minister Julius Sunkuli who is gunning for the senatorial seat and who led the walk out, said they would reject the decision because majority of the voters in the county do not subscribe to the URP political doctrine.

“The unilateral decision was made without adequate consultations. The party leader Uhuru Kenyatta should meet us as soon as possible to deter fallout,” said Sunkuli at a news conference.

The delay in addressing the issue, he said, would have far-reaching consequences on the party, which he added enjoyed massive support in the cosmopolitan region.

“It is clear as the day follows the night that URP and TNA have different ideologies. The decision to zone the country and for the two parties to carry out joint nominations were arrived at without our knowledge and wishes,” he added.

The former Kilgoris MP said Kenya was a democratic country and termed the TNA decision as dictatorial, insensible and not in keeping with the prevailing demographics.

The aspirants later raised funds to travel to Nairobi to have an audience with Uhuru.