Chaos witnessed at Jubilee polls for second day

Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire and Governor Martin Wambora and other Embu leaders in a rare show of solidarity after a press conference in Embu on Tuesday. (PHOTO: JOSEPH MUCHIRI/ STANDARD)

For the second day running, meetings to select Jubilee Party interim officials were marred by chaos.

In Mt Kenya region, chaotic scenes were witnessed in Tharaka Nithi, Laikipia and Embu counties as aspirants and incumbents met to choose officials to oversee party affairs albeit on a temporary basis.

At Thingithu Secondary School in Nanyuki, leaders failed to agree on how to select officials to lead the party in Laikipia County.

Representatives from Laikipa West constituency accused their counterparts from Laikipia East and Laikipia North of unfairness after giving them an equal number of slots despite their sizes.

Confusion and near fist fights marred elections in Tharaka Nithi County as aspiring and elected leaders disagreed.

Trouble started when members convened in a hall to hold elections but were later opposed to the formula suggested by the Jubilee Secretariat leading to a shouting match between aspirants and elected leaders.

Mr Limo suggested all aspiring MPs produce a 30 per cent total number of officials. The same would apply to the senators and women representatives while gubernatorial aspirants would produce 40 per cent.

In Embu, leaders failed to agree on the mode to use to elect county party officials.

Governor Martin Wambora, Runyenjes MP Cecily Mbarire and her Manyatta counterpart John Muchiri Muchiri, all from the Embu community, ganged up against Senator Lenny Kivuti and Mbeere North MP Charles Njagagua, both from the Mbeere Community.

Matters were, however, different in Kirinyaga County where the process went on uninterrupted.

But in Kajiado, Jubilee’s Executive Director for the National Secretariat Franklin Mwendani and Kajiado South MP Katoo ole Metito, who heads the presidential campaign in the region, had a hectic time cooling down tempers at the Cultural Club.

Kajiado North MP Joseph Manje was seen with aspirant Parsimei Gitau pushing each other and engaging in heated exchanges during the process.

In Nakuru, the heat generated by the exercise began to be felt when nominated senator Paul Ben Njoroge ditched the party for KANU, with other party leaders from Naivasha threatening to follow suit unless the elections were annulled.

And in Nyandarua, former officials of defunct The National Alliance party were dropped as the new interim officials of JP. This is despite attempts to have them take over the running of the new party.

In Kericho, elections ended in disarray after political aspirants forced their way into a hall at the Tea Research Foundation where names of the elected officials were being read, bringing the exercise to an abrupt end.

And violence broke out at the Government Training Institute in Mombasa among rival factions leading to the cancellation of the exercise.

In Taita Taveta, former Voi Deputy Mayor Zahidi Din was elected the county Jubilee Party interim chairman in a disputed poll marred by a walkout by some party officials who threatened to form a parallel team to spearhead campaigns.

There were no chaotic scenes in Vihiga County, where Hastings Obala was elected party chairperson.

In Eldoret, near fist fights marred elections for Uasin Gishu County, with some party supporters feeling short-changed.

— Report by Joseph Muchiri, Kevin Ngari, Lydia Nyawira, Peterson Githaiga, Antony Gitonga, James Munyeki, Silah Koskei, Eric Lungai, Renson Mnyamwezi, Phillip Mwakio and Nikko Tanui