TNA dissolution to delay formation of Jubilee Party

NAIROBI: The new Jubilee Party will not be launched on March 31 as initially planned.

The National Alliance (TNA) Party Secretary General, Onyango Oloo, said yesterday that the process of dissolving some of the affiliate parties would go beyond this date, which was set by the merger steering committee co-chaired by Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi and former Cabinet Minister Noah Wekesa.

TNA has the most elaborate dissolution process and Mr Oloo insisted that the party would follow its constitution to the letter before it wound up.

Oloo said the TNA constitution required the National Oversight Board to adopt a merger report drawn by a five-member panel.

"We already have a five-member panel including Johnson Sakaja (Chairman), myself, Genesio Mugo (Deputy Organising Secretary) and Joseph Mathai (Executive Director) and this is the panel to negotiate on behalf of TNA in the merger," he said.

Oloo said they were yet to start compiling the report because they are still negotiating what stake the party would have in the Jubilee Party, and also the constitution of the new party.

Once the report was completed, Oloo explained, the national chairman would be required to convene a national delegates congress within 21 days.

"The chairman will have to put out a notice of the intended merger in at least two daily newspapers of national circulation to invite any person or group or organisations owed by the party to lay forth their claims," said Oloo.

He explained that should the convention adopt the merger report, the national treasurer would within 14 days be required to settle all outstanding financial obligations where possible, close all books of accounts at every organ of the party and stop all payments except those which related to terminal benefits of employees.

"The ultimate determinant of our merger will be the delegates. If more than 30 per cent oppose the dissolution then we will not close. That's why we have been moving across the country to convince them that when that time comes they should support it," said Oloo.

Last month, the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal ordered TNA to comply with its own constitution before it could dissolve.

Narok North MP Moitalel ole Kenta had moved to the tribunal to challenge the process of dissolving the party and the proposed merger of all Jubilee parties.

The tribunal ruled that no merger or dissolution would proceed without following the party's constitution.