TNA to strategize for by-elections among other issues

By MWANIKI MUNUHE

NAIROBI, KENYA: After a long battle, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance (TNA) is now set for a parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday next week, The Standard On Sunday can report. The meeting, which could revive the battle over chairmanship, was planned at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday.

Those who attended the Wednesday meeting include Government Chief Whip Katoo ole Metito, Deputy Majority Leader Naomi Shabaan, TNA Secretary General Onyago Oloo, nominated MP Johnson Sakaja and powerful and influential politician in Jubilee government nominated legislator Amina Abdalla.

Sources at the meeting said part of the agenda would be to discuss various strategies of reviving the party, preparation of the various by-elections across the country and an attempt to resolve the impending disagreements over the party’s top leadership.

Earlier attempts to organise a similar parliamentary group meeting were thwarted after powerful forces within government disapproved of the plan ostensibly to avoid creating a situation where coalition partners United Republican Party (URP) may develop suspicion that TNA is planning some issues away from the coalition.

The same concerns were advanced during the Tuesday meeting but were defeated after majority of those attending the meeting argued that URP legislators have been meeting and that a similar meeting of the TNA MP’s could not jeopardise the coalition in any way.

Reached for a comment, TNA through the Communications Director Machel Waikenda, confirmed that the party would hold a meeting to discuss the by-elections among what he said is other ‘housekeeping issues.’

“There is indeed a party meeting next week but it is the usual party issues we want to discuss as we deliberate on the upcoming by-elections. As a party and as the Jubilee coalition, we want to secure as many seats as we can possibly win in the by-elections. Otherwise the rest is just housekeeping business,” he said.

The meeting is, however, expected to revive the stormy debate over the party’s chairmanship seat that has been the subject of controversy since May this year.

The party’s vice chair Lydia Mokaya was picked by TNA’s National Oversight Board (NOB) after the board suspended nominated MP Johnson Sajaka.

But Sakaja remained adamant that the law did not bar him from being the chair of the president’s party despite his nomination to Parliament.