New Ford Kenya joins affiliate parties in rush to stop Jubilee merger

President Uhuru Kenyatta with the officials of New formed Jubilee party at State House on 9/8/16 [Photo:BEVERLYNE MUSILI/Standard]

It is not yet party time for the Jubilee Party after affiliates that announced their interest to dissolve beat a hasty retreat yesterday.

Some of the parties' officials have moved to the Political Parties Tribunal to stop the Saturday official merger celebration until various issues touching on their parties are resolved.

The development is a setback for some of the over 10 political parties, which had indicated their intention to join Jubilee Party that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, will use to contest for re-election.

So far, 10 parties have agreed to dissolve and join the Jubilee Party. They are TNA, URP, JAP, APK, UDF, New Ford Kenya, UPK, Republican Council, TIP TIP and GNU.

The newly-formed party is set to hold its first national delegates conference on Friday and Saturday to ratify the merger decision.

Yesterday, New-Ford Kenya joined the list of parties that had earlier pledged to merge but are now seeking to stop the merger after two aggrieved members filed a suit at the tribunal.

Peter Nabikhuli and David Baraza urged the tribunal to halt the merger on the grounds that it was detrimental to some members as the deal was done without public and party members' participation.

Mr Nabikhuli and Mr Baraza have sued Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka, party Secretary General Benjamin Muema and the Registrar of Political Parties saying if the planned merger was not stopped, other party members were likely to suffer prejudice.

Mr Lusaka made the announcement that New Ford-Kenya was to dissolve to join Jubilee Party on July 11.

"We urge the tribunal to issue an order restraining New Ford-Kenya or its agents from merging the party or its affairs with any other political party whatsoever to form Jubilee Party," the two said through lawyer Isaiah Mandala.

They asked the tribunal to issue interim orders against the Registrar of Political Parties.