Kioni, Murathe lose appeal to regain Jubilee party to Ruto allies

Former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni addressing the media on March 20, 2023. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

The Political Parties Dispute Tribunal has upheld East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega as the Jubilee Party Secretary General.

This now deals a blow to former President Uhuru Kenyatta's allies Jeremiah Kioni and David Murathe as Secretary General and Vice Chair respectively.

Further, the tribunal struck out Kioni's case against the Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu.

"The suit against the 2nd Respondent (Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu) is hereby struck out. The Appeal is dismissed in its entirety. Appellants shall bear the respondents and interested parties costs," the ruling read in part.

Last month, the Registrar of Political Parties upheld the decision by the Jubilee National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that suspended David Murathe, Jeremiah Kioni, and Kagwe Gichohi from the Party.

Kioni and Murathe would then file an appeal at the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal on May 25, 2023 against Nderitu.

"Far from the Appellant's submissions, we do not see any non-compliance with either the Registrar's statutory duty or our decision in Appeal No. 1 of 2023. Indeed, the Registrar, in our considered view, is neither in breach of or in contempt of our edicts in the aforesaid decision," the tribunal ruled.

Kione had argued that Nderitu was mistaken to recognise the kega-led faction.