Jittery Jubilee parties now charting their way ahead of 2017

NAIROBI: The move by the Jubilee Coalition’s main partners; The National Alliance and United Republican Party, to form a single party has thrown the smaller member parties into confusion.

The parties are now weighing in on new terms of engagement with the coalition. Owing to the latest development, the leader of United Democratic Movement (UDF), Musalia Mudavadi envisages two scenarios; “Should Jubilee Alliance continue to legally exist, the agreements remain valid. But should it dissolve, the agreements automatically and by default die. That is the legal reality.”

However, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Omingo Magara, has cautioned TNA and URP against treating fellow partners like political ‘flower girls’.

“We are not passengers in this coalition,” protested Magara.

UDF, PDP, New Ford-Kenya of former Cabinet Minister Eugene Wamalwa, the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) headed by Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi, Kadu Asili and Kanu among other political parties entered post-election agreements with Jubilee Coalition.

Hamisi Member of Parliament Charles Gimose of Liberal Party of Kenya, works with Jubilee as an individual despite his party having been originally in the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).

Even though PDP had signed a pre-election agreement with CORD, Magara shifted to Jubilee after the March 2013 polls and was elected the chairman of the Centre for Multi-Party Democracy, courtesy of Jubilee, to succeed National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi. Mudavadi notes that the political reality is that formation of Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) will affect parties in post-election agreements.

“One expects that by the time of legal dissolution, discussions will have been held to address the agreements. This might not be soon because it is in the interest of Jubilee to stretch and hold onto the agreements for as long as possible if it has to maintain the numbers in Parliament,” observes Mudavadi.

Nonetheless, the prayers of Jubilee member parties is that TNA and URP do not dissolve, but remain independent entities until the next election to render current post-election agreements relevant.

While maintaining their links with Jubilee technically, some seem to have re-focused their political future (2017 and beyond) outside the coalition’s political wings. According to the Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u, the post-election agreements between Jubilee and the parties deposited with her office after the March 4, 2013 General Election remain valid.

“TNA and URP have not dissolved. The new party JAP is just as distinct as the two and therefore, the agreements remain valid,” Ndung’u told The Standard on Sunday.

Kenya School of Law lecturer and political analyst Martin Oloo, notes that while pre-election coalitions are between political parties, post-election coalitions are between political parties and the Government.

“Whatever Jubilee is doing does not negate agreements it signed with these parties. The parties signed their agreements with the Government, not the Jubilee Alliance,” noted Oloo,

In collaboration with the affiliate parties, Jubilee coalition has 216 MPs in the House. That means Jubilee is only short of 16 legislators to achieve the 232 threshold required to have full command of the National Assembly. However, minus the affiliate parties, it would remain with 167.

NEW DEVELOPMENT

Kiraitu and his close ally Meru Governor Peter Munya have also noted that APK will not join JAP, and that its formation does not negate the post-election agreement.

While Wamalwa was reluctant to talk about the new development, his party Secretary General Benjamin Mwema, said the parliamentary co-operation between his party and Jubilee will remain intact.

“Our agreement for co-operation in Parliament has not changed and will not change,” said Mwema.

The affiliate parties have been incorporated in various committees as chairs, courtesy of their respective parties’ post-election agreement with Jubilee.

UDF’s Mumias East MP Ben Washiali is the Jubilee Deputy Chief Whip in the National Assembly. In the Senate, APK Secretary General and nominated Senator Beatrice Elachi, is the Majority Chief Whip.

Some MPs and senators from UDF, APK, Kanu and NFK are also chairs of several parliamentary committees.

However, the affiliate parties on the other hand have missed out on the multi-million State funding enjoyed by TNA and URP, and which they do not qualify due to stringent rules of the Political Parties Act (2011).

There have been murmurs on the issue of funding, with some coalition parties claiming that Jubilee has not championed to have the Act amended for the benefit of friendly parties that support it. While they maintain parliamentary co-operation will remain, these parties seem to be charting their own way ahead of 2017.

“For us, we have already charted our way towards re-branding to ANC. The current political dispensation, demands consolidation. Amani is the voice of the willing and a counterforce to politics of ethnic division and exclusion,” noted Mudavadi.

In a quick rejoinder to JAP’s formation, Lugari MP Ayub Savula had asked Mudavadi to cut links with Jubilee, saying : “Mudavadi was not a factor in Jubilee and he should scout for another coalition”. Separately, Mwema is quick to point out that NFK has no relation to JAP in relation to 2017 and beyond: “If two parties decide to have a political marriage come 2017, what does that have to do with NFK? Our parliamentary co-operation is restricted to the life-span of the 11th Parliament.”

Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat had earlier said: “We are not party to the arrangement. That is their own. As for us, we are only aware of our post-election agreement, which is currently in place. We are going to remain as Kanu.”