Divisions as leaders jostle for Jubilee Alliance Party positions

JAP Reloaded officials hold hands after they launched the Murang'a declaration to jump start recruitment of more than seven million youth in 10 counties recently. There are wrangles in the region over leadership positions in the new party. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

The emergence of the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) as President Uhuru Kenyatta's vehicle for the 2017 polls has opened fresh wrangles in the Mt Kenya region.

Elected leaders and their political rivals are scrambling for a piece of JAP after its resounding victory in the Kabete by-election.

In Embu, Governor Martin Wambora has waded into a supremacy battle over JAP's control leading to formation of two political factions in the county.

Mr Wambora said he supports the group led by former Co-operatives Minister Njeru Ndwiga, retired President's Kibaki's aide-de-camp Geoffrey King'ang'i and United Republican Party NEC member Geoffrey Kiringa. On Friday last week, Mr Ndwiga was presented as JAP's county co-ordinator.

Wambora advised residents to keep off a parallel faction led by Senator Lenny Kivuti, which on Saturday dismissed Ndwiga's group and accused Wambora's administration of achieving little in development.

Speaking in Kithimu, Embu West sub-county on Sunday, Wambora said Ndwiga's faction was the legitimate one since it is led by people who currently do not hold political seats.

He rubbished accusations by Kivuti and Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire that his administration could not account for over Sh8 billion allocated in the last two financial years, saying that was meant to derail his development plans.

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"The county's development blueprint is still on course and we are implementing projects uniformly across all wards. Those claiming otherwise should shut up and show what they have done for the people," he said.

Wambora said he would ignore some six opponents who were hell-bent on removing him through the backdoor.

The entry of governors from the Mt Kenya region into the party is also stirring discomfort, especially in Nyeri where some TNA officials told Governor Nderitu Gachagua off after he said he will join the party.

Immediately on his arrival after a two-month absence, Mr Gachagua declared he will dissolve his Grand National Union (GNU) party and join JAP.

At the same time, Nyeri TNA co-ordinator Phillip Githua has been criticising the county's JAP leadership, terming them self-imposed.

In a recent post on his Facebook page, Githua wrote: "I post this to thank all our leaders who have taken our advice and refused to fall into the bad hands of the fake, so-called interim JAP office."

But Wambugu Nyamu, the county JAP chairman dismissed the claims, saying the Nyeri office holders were appointed at the JAP headquarters.

"Contrary to press reports, our branch interim office was created on November 5, 2014 by the founding secretariat of Jubilee Alliance Party and there are minutes to that effect. Whereas many branches created at the time became inactive, we have continuously popularised JAP and we work together with local leaders and citizenry," said Mr Nyamu.