Battle in TNA over Nyeri nominees

Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagwa (centre). [PHOTO:FILE/STANDARD]

By WAINAINA NDUNG’U

Officials of The National Alliance (TNA) are locked in a bitter political battle with elected leaders in Nyeri County over fresh nomination of 13 Members of the County Assembly (MCA).

The new tussle follows a decision by the Court of Appeal, early last month, to throw out the MCAs. Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagwa and five TNA-allied MPs, as well as party officials, are embroiled in a vicious scramble to dictate who gets nominated.

Gachagua, of the Grand National Union (GNU), has only six elected MCAs against TNA’s 23 and is outnumbered in the County Assembly.

The governor is particularly trying to flex muscle to survive a possible onslaught from TNA. Besides GNU and TNA, Saba Saba Asili (SSA) has one member.

But TNA branch chairman Peter Kanyora has accused MPs from the county of precipitating the crisis that eventually led to the annulment by influencing the nomination of their cronies and relatives.

The Nyeri TNA branch is particularly incensed by the development, which party officials claim accords Gachagua a fertile hunting ground, who is greatly outnumbered in the county assembly. High court judges, Mumbi Ngugi, David Majanja and Joseph Korir on July 12 dismissed the petition to cancel the nominations.

Four TNA members filed the suit protesting that despite appearing at the top of the TNA list, the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) gazetted the names of other persons. But when the dispute went to the appellate court, Justices David Maranga, John Mwera and  Jamila Mohamed agreed with the petitioners Rose Wairimu Kamau, Salome Wairimu Kago. Elizabeth Muthoni Wanjau and Mary Muthoni Njeru and on November 8th ordered TNA to submit a new list of nominees to IEBC within 15 days. The electoral body has seven days to gazette the same. 

New MCAs

It means by early this week, the IEBC must have gazzetted the new MCAs to bring to end this saga, including careers of some young politicians who told The Standard On Sunday they had already taken bank loans to purchase cars and improve their lifestyles. The four petitioners had also claimed the TNA nominations had also discriminated against Mukurwe-ini and Mathira constituencies. Their allies further claimed the MPs influenced the nominations of their girlfriends, cronies and relatives. Kanyori said they had already shortlisted new nominees and forwarded the same to the party branch: “There is a substantial difference from the earlier list. The first thing we have done is weed out nominees who were not in our party membership list.”

Kanyora said regional balance had been factored in the new list and that the party branch was hopeful that the party headquarters would not give in to attempted tinkering by MPs.

Late in July just before the petitioners lost at the high court, Kieni MP, Kanini Kega promised to sponsor amendments to the Elections Act to give elected MPs more say in nomination of (MCA).

He wanted elected MPs given a bigger say in the nomination of MCAs after the Elections Act placed those powers in the hands of the party machinery.

Kanini said the IEBC and party officials had misused the provisions of the act and tinkered party lists to favour some areas and political groupings within parties.

“My proposed amendment will provide that the respective MPs provide names of nominees in proportion to the number of MCAs from their constituencies belonging to their party,” said the MP.

He spoke following complaints from Mukurwe-ini that the constituency had been given a raw deal in the sharing of the 13 nomination slots for TNA.

Kanini said his amendment will provide that the nomination slots for marginalized groups be exempt from filling by MPs to guarantee the representation of the special groups. “We didn’t get any complains in the past when it used to be the MPs who recommended members to be nominated in the local authorities in or in charge of their constituencies,” said the MP.

He said no MP should be blamed for the skewed distribution of nomination slots because the party headquarters was fully in charge of selecting who entered the final party list.

He also said under the present Act, it was only the IEBC which could alter the nominations and rescue the constituencies said to have received a raw deal.

The Kieni MP had said he was still drafting the amendment and lobbying for support before he takes it to the floor of the National Assembly.

 

— [email protected]