Jubilee to expand campaign team after outcry

From left)William Wahome aspirant for senator Nairobi,Millicent Omango Woman representative Nairobi aspirant,Mutinda Kavemba and Juma Hassan during a press conference today on 15/November/2016 at Sixeighty Hotel.Jubilee are scheming to lock some aspirants from the race of Nairobi,Governor,Senator,Woman representative,Mp and MCA.PHOTO BY EDWARD KIPLIMO.

Jubilee Party is expanding its presidential campaign team to include disgruntled members in the list of officials.

President Uhuru Kenyatta's national campaign team yesterday said it was crafting an elaborate campaign structure that would absorb more members into the presidential campaign committee.

The party ran into headwinds on November 4 when Mr Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto unveiled a 61-member campaign committee, sparking uproar from members who demanded more names be included in the list.

Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi said head of Jubilee campaign secretariat Raphael Tuju had been mandated to establish county, sub-county and ward presidential campaign teams.

"In the next one month or so he (Tuju) is going to establish county, sub-county and ward presidential campaign teams," announced Murungi.

Party aspirants in particular had complained elected leaders named to the team could use their positions to influence nominations or project themselves as the Jubilee leadership's favourites.

Yesterday, the campaign team held a meeting at the party's headquarters in Nairobi to deliberate on the looming nominations.

The inclusion of politicians in the campaign team caused uproar among members who claimed they would use their positions to influence the party primaries.

During the party's Special National Governing Council at Bomas of Kenya, delegates surged towards the dais to submit additional names, forcing Mr Ruto to tell them to make proposals on the issues that had been left out.

FAVOURED DEFECTORS

There has been disquiet in North Rift and Nyeri, among other Jubilee strongholds, over alleged lack of proper representation in the campaign team.

Some members have also raised concerns over claims the party had favoured defectors from other political parties.

The team yesterday said it was determined to deliver credible party primaries to avoid mistakes that could rock Jubilee campaigns.

Some of the leaders who defected from the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy who were included in the team include Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi, Senator John Munyes and MP Gideon Mung'aro.

Mr Tuju, Senator Murungi and National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said the newly-formed outfit will ensure the polls are devoid of irregularities.

The officials said top on their agenda is to deliver a free, fair primaries that would be accepted by all aspirants running on the Jubilee ticket.

The President and his deputy led the party's NGC to endorse a proposal to have Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) conduct Jubilee's primaries.

Tuju said the secretariat will engage the electoral agency to plan for the primaries ahead of the August 8, 2017 General Election.

"We shall dispatch a letter through the secretariat to the IEBC to formally start the discussion and processes for the Jubilee Party nominations," said Mr Tuju.

The need for free and fair primaries in the party nominations has been fired up by a clause in the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2016 that bars party hopping.

Mr Duale said the party had resolved to allow the voters to pick their favourite candidates and would do everything to facilitate a fair process for all those planning to run on the political vehicle that Kenyatta and Ruto will use to seek a second term in office.

"As Jubilee, we want to give our party a nomination that has never been seen, where the people will elect their leaders in free and fair primaries," said Duale.

He said National Treasury will fund the exercise since the role of IEBC in party nominations is provided for in the Constitution.