Fresh storm in Uhuru’s party over cash

By JAMES MBAKA

Kenya: A fresh storm has erupted in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA as a faction out to topple the party’s leadership schemes to block officials from accessing party funds.

About 35 MPs led by Kajiado North MP Moses ole Sakuda met at a Nairobi hotel for the second successive time yesterday to plot how to press for elections of new officials in TNA (The National Alliance) which was formed last year, and is still run by handpicked officials.

The MPs plan to block the current leadership from accessing the Sh89 million allocated to TNA from the Political Parties Fund, alleging misappropriation of monies by the officials.

They also want the officials to explain the huge debts the party owes creditors, alleging there was misuse of funds amounting to about Sh1 million by party officials.

The meeting at a Nairobi hotel is among a series the plotters have planned to agitate for a leadership overhaul of TNA. They claimed that the current party officials could not account for members’ contributions.

The MPs have resolved to press for countrywide grassroots elections to pick delegates who would finally converge in Nairobi before the end of the year to elect new office bearers.

The party has never held grassroots elections since its inception in the run-up to last year’s General Election, even as its rival ODM plans for a National Delegates Convention in a week’s time to pick new leaders.

The TNA MPs who include Kitutu Chache north MP Jimmy Angwenyi, Peris Tobiko (Kajiado East) Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) among others agreed to push for the development of a strategic plan to roll out programmes and rejuvenate the party.

The legislators told The Standard they had agreed on how to sell the idea of ousting the party’s current leadership and plan to meet senators, governors and other MPs including members of county assemblies to ensure the process is inclusive.

“We want to ensure that we do not leave any one behind as we move forward, it is unfortunate that we do not have delegates if elections are called today, and no one is talking about it,” Sakuda told the Standard.

But reacting to the claims that TNA could have lost money, chairman Johnston Sakaja told The Standard that all records of the party’s financial accounts are available and do not show any loss including the Sh1 million allegedly unaccounted for.

“I can tell you all the financial statements are available at the party’s secretariat. Although I am not a signatory, I know that no cent has been lost and the MPs should seek information from the party,” Sakaja said.

Onyango Oloo who was recently appointed chairman of the Lake Basin Development Authority, is the secretary general.

Lydia Mokaya, who now works in the Office of the President as a political advisor, deputises Sakaja.

But Sakuda claimed that the current leadership had failed in managing the party’s finances and members would not allow them to control the cash recently allocated to TNA by the Political Parties Fund.

“We cannot allow the current leadership to again access this funds. They must tell us how they spent the money that was in the account after the last General Election,” Sakuda said.

Architects of the scheme to elect new officials say TNA needs more vibrant leaders to ease pressure on party leader, President Uhuru, who is very busy with State matters.