Jubilee nominations will be free and fair, says Deputy President William Ruto

Deputy president William Ruto at the Jubillee delegates meeting at Kasarani stadium on 9th September 2016 [PHOTO:DAVID GICHURU/Standard]

The Jubilee Party has moved fast to allay fears of a nomination fall-out during its inaugural National Delegates Conference held at Kasarani Sports Gymnasium in Nairobi yesterday.

The party’s designate deputy leader and Deputy President William Ruto gave the assurances on behalf of the party leader President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is expected to the launch the party today.

Speaking moments after 12 party leaders announced the dissolution of their outfits, Ruto assured the 10,000 delegates attending the conference that party primaries will be free and fair under the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

“No one in Jubilee Party should worry about nominations. We have agreed IEBC, which is mandated by the Constitution to manage elections on behalf of political parties, will handle the process,” he said.

“I am confirming without fear or favour that Jubilee believes in all fairness. We believe everyone must get justice. The government will spend public resources to make sure that nominations are carried out by the IEBC in all parties that are willing,” added Ruto.

Yesterday, Ruto appeared to suggest that IEBC is the panacea to troublesome party primaries and vowed to pull all stops to ensure everyone in Jubilee gets fair chance to run for elective offices. He spoke moments after former leaders of the National Alliance (TNA), United Republican Party (URP), Party of National Unity (PNU), United Democratic Forum (UDF), Ford People, Republican Congress, Grand National Union (GNU), The Independent Party (TIP), Unity Party of Kenya (UPK), New Ford Kenya and Alliance Party of Kenya bid farewell to party leadership.

He admitted that most nominations are prone to irregularities because of lack of capacity and logistical support for political parties. Ruto termed yesterday’s mass merger of parties as historic, pointing out that they managed to bring different parties and Kenyans from various parts of the country together to join a single party with a national agenda.

He said since post-election violence, President Kenyatta and himself had a desire to come up with a single party that does not have an ethnic orientation.

“We had a candid talk with the President in 2012 after becoming victims of the situation in 2007/2008 on how to move the country ahead. We reasoned that we needed inclusive political institutions that would foster national unity,” said Ruto, who added he was happy the dream had been realised.

Ruto exuded confidence the new party will bring sanity to the political arena, which has been missing since the advent of multi-party democracy. “With Jubilee is introducing a new way of doing things. Democracy in this country has earned a very bad tag. To many people democracy is seen to be chaotic, noisy, dangerous and sometimes very divisive. Since 1992, lives have been lost and blood shed on account of political competition. This is because elections parties were converted into vehicles of ethnic animosity,” he added, as he expressed confidence that President Kenyatta will be re-elected in 2017.

Earlier before the Deputy President addressed the delegates, all the leaders of the parties that dissolved separately on Thursday, after holding their National Delegates Conferences, confirmed that their members had agreed to merge.

First to take the stage was former The National Alliance (TNA) chairman Johnson Sakaja, followed by Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua the party leader of the Grand National Union (GNU) and Ibrahim Hamis of the Republican Council.

Bugoma Governor Ken Lusaka, the former boss of New Ford Kenya, PNU former chair John Kamama, Petkey Miriti(UPK), Albert Nyaundi( ford people) and Fafi MP Barry Shill(URP) followed suit.

Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali of UDF, JAP’s Veronica Maina, Kalembe Ndile of Tip Tip and APK boss Kiraitu Murungi, completed the programme, with their respective delegates showing their approval by acclamation.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale while making his remarks, said the launch of the new party marks the end of politics of ethnicity. “This is a new start, a day when we bury the politics of ethnicity end and bringing to a start politics of inclusion and unity,” said Duale. “Today we are saying enough is enough, no more tribal parties, tribal chiefs. From now henceforth we are moving from the narrow path of ethnic politics to the broad mind of inclusive ideas and policies,” he added.