Unrest in Amani National Congress party over change of secretary general

Amani National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Godfrey Osotsi address a press conference during an aspirants meeting on 31/01/ 2017. [PHOTO: WILLIS AWANDU]

Trouble is brewing at the Amani National Congress (ANC) after it emerged that a petitioner had stopped the appointment of Barrack Muluka as party’s secretary general.

On Thursday last week, Party leader Musalia Mudavadi wrote a letter to the Registrar of Political parties Lucy Ndung’u asking her office to replace ANC secretary general and Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi with Muluka.

In the letter, Mudavadi said the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) and the parliamentary group members had ratified the move that sanctioned Osotsi’s removal from the office.

But, on Monday Ms. Ndung’u wrote to Mudavadi declining to effect the changes after she received a complaint letter from Evans Nyaribo.  Nyaribo who claimed to be one of the founder members argued that the party did not follow the right procedure to effect the changes.

In the letter, Mr Nyaribo claimed that the meeting held on 12th of October where Muluka was picked, was a gross violation of the party constitution given that it was not properly constituted and conducted within the party constitution.

Nyaribo said; “The minutes of the said meeting was fraudulent and exposes key party officials to criminal charges for violation of offences contained in the political Parties Act.” 

The petitioner said ANC had not conducted a free and fair polls to elect new party officials as per the constitution and therefore the replacement of Osotsi by an interim secretary general was a total violation of the institution’s constitution given that it does not provide for the interim status.

Mr. Nyaribo said minutes filed with the registrar showed that the decision was made by NEC though it was clear that what sanctioned the changes was the party's parliamentary group.

It has emerged according to sources that in the Thursday meeting chaired by Mudavadi at the party headquarters in Lavington, some leaders led by Kakamega senator Cleopas Malala and Butere MP Tindi Mwale resisted the changes on the basis that it was ill-advised and ill-timed.

The source said Malala wondered why the party leader instigated the changes at this time when the country is in the middle of an election crisis and they were key actors in NASA.

He instead advised that the party should hold elections from the grassroots to national level to choose new officials.

Those opposed to Osotsi’s removal said as secretary general, has been instrumental in the growth of the party where he played a leading role in the formation of ANC party and thereafter successfully registered NASA as a coalition name.

"He represented Mudavadi in bomas at National tallying center and he played a big role in unearthing some of the things that helped NASA in its petition.  It should be remembered that his evidence on weaknesses on electronic results transmission played a big role in influencing the final judgment of the Supreme Court in favour of NASA," said the source.

 Our efforts to reach him on phone was unsuccessful, Osotsi was out of the country.