Bitter wrangles threaten to mar the URP dream

By VITALIS KIMUTAIThe fight for control of the United Republican Party (URP) by politicians close to Eldoret North MP William Ruto has threatened to tear the nascent party apart.What has clearly emerged is the fight has to do with nominations for party positions and who will have the final say.Eldoret North MP William Ruto (seated left) with his allies during the unveiling of URP last year. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]So serious was the matter that a group of MPs from the South Rift were considering ditching URP.It compelled Ruto to convene a crisis meeting at the International Bible School on Wednesday, which ran into midnight where the feuding MPs agreed to bury the hatchet – albeit grudgingly.It was a follow-up of reconciliation attempts that had been initiated by Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita and his Mosop counterpart David Koech, which took shape on Monday when the wrangling became public.MPs Charles Keter (Belgut), Joshua Kutuny (Cheranganyi), Julius Kones (Konoin) and Benjamin Langat (Ainamoi) on one hand had ganged up against Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto and William Ruto over a list of interim officials forwarded to the Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung’u.In a surprise move, the MPs led by Keter took on the two head-on, insisting officials who had registered the party must remain in office until grassroots elections are conducted. Nixon Korir, an aide of the Eldoret North MP, was listed as the chairman with Yakubu Duale, (a brother to Dujis MP Aden Duale), named treasurer.George Oyugi was listed as interim organising secretary, while former Tenwek Mission Hospital Chief Executive Officer Steven Mutai was named deputy organising secretary. Victor Biegon, a businessman and ally of Keter, is party interim secretary general.Interim teamWilliam Ruto and Isaac Ruto pushed for the replacement of the interim officials saying they had been listed as officials for the purposes of registration only.The move angered Keter, who is said to have walked out of a meeting at the party headquarters chaired by William Ruto after Easter holidays.Biegon has declined to resign his position to pave the way for Davis Chirchir, a former commissioner with the defunct Interim Independent and Electoral Commission (IIEC) to take charge. Korir alongside all the other officials have since resigned, paving the way for former Speaker Francis Kaparo."I was the interim chairman for the purposes of registration. I have since handed over to Kaparo to lead the party," Korir said.During the crisis meeting at the International Bible School, Keter was asked to prevail upon Biegon to resign and hand over party registration documents.In a new twist, it emerged a constitution had been forwarded to the Registrar’s office without the knowledge of MPs, same way as election and nomination rules.Submitted list"We were surprised the list of interim officials that was at the registrar’s office did not have the names of Mutai and Yakubu," an MP claimed.In the constitution forwarded to the registrar, a presidential candidate was required to get the support of 2,000 party members in the 47 counties before being allowed to seek the party ticket. The requirement would be a tall order for prospective candidates to fulfil as the party could not even secure 1,000 members in the counties."The issuance of the party nomination certificate had been vested solely on the Secretary General, a move which caused friction between the MPs and party supporters," another MP confirmed.Keter insisted that Biegon and the other officials should not resign before the party holds its elections.He said it would be an appreciation of the role they played in registering URP when options were running out for William Ruto following a fall out in UDM."Keter accused Isaac Ruto of instilling dictatorship in the party and siding with aspirants who had shown interests in running for parliamentary and county seats in Kericho County," a source said.The Chepalungu MP accused Keter of spreading falsehood against him and siding with those who were fighting him politically in Bomet County."While Keter has been supporting the likes of Dr Kones to fight me in Bomet and giving moral support to Beatrice Kones, I have never complained," Isaac Ruto told the meeting. During the meeting, William Ruto maintained former Speaker Francis Kaparo should remain party chairman.Constitutional Affairs Assistant Minister William Cheptumo said in interview that the differences had clearly indicated democratic ideals and freedom of expression was alive in the party. "I am happy that as a party, we can sit down and come up with solutions to the issues," Cheptumo said. Cheptumo added: "It is good that the MPs who had disagreed have buried the hatchet and moved on as a team. URP’s performance should not be measured by the differences."Keter has denied that he was the cause of the row in the party, stating all he had pushed for was for interim officials to remain in office until grassroots elections are held.Fallen out"Those claiming I have fallen out with William Ruto and Isaac Ruto have not had the facts right," Keter said. He also denied that a meeting he convened in Kericho was meant to chart a new political path for the Kipsigis community, saying it was a consultative meeting on development.Issaac Ruto accused Keter and Kutuny of submitting a letter to the registrar, saying there would not be elections in the party until after the General Election."Their intention was to control the party with a view to ensuring that they and their cronies get automatic nomination for parliamentary and county tickets. But we must allow for competition," he said.The Chepalungu MP said: "We must comply with the wider thinking of Kenyans and reflect the spirit of the Constitution. The moment you outlaw competition, you will have killed URP. We can not allow this party to be reduced to a briefcase outfit".Kaparo said URP would be the party to watch and that a grassroots election would be rolled out soon.He said: "We shall embrace members from across the country and we are traversing the breadth and length of Kenya."

Bitter wrangles threaten to mar the URP dream

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