Ford Kenya officials plot to chase Wetang'ula from party

Moses Wetangula - Bungoma Senator

A faction of Ford-Kenya officials are planning to remove party leader Moses Wetang'ula in two weeks.

The officials have called a meeting in Thika on November 26 to pick a new party leader, citing Senator Wetang'ula's poor leadership of the party.

This comes as Wetan'gula announced plans for a two-day National Executive Council (NEC) and parliamentary group retreat on November 24 and 25 ahead of the party's general council slated for the following day to chart a path for next year's General Election.

Led by National Organising Secretary Peter Munyae, the Nairobi branch chairman, Lupesa Komesa, and Kisumu branch vice chairman, Felix Minda, have vowed to hold a parallel meeting to pick a new party leader.

They accused the Senate Minority Leader of running the party as personal property.

The leaders claimed that the party risked dissolution for lack of a national outlook as required by the Political Party's Act.

"He has violated the Constitution and Ford-Kenya risks being de-registered for failing to ensure that the party bears the face of the country,"said Mr Munyae.

The officials accused the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) presidential hopeful of hand-picking all the party's senior officials from his community.

They claimed the party had gone against its own constitution that requires the National Delegates Convention (NDC) to meet once every two years.

The officials said they had not endorsed Wetang'ula to run for the top seat.

Wetang'ula has indicated his intention to fight against coalition co-principals Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka for CORD's 2017 presidential ticket.

But Munyae's faction said the party had not convened a delegates' conference so no individual had been identified to fly the party's flag in the 2017 polls.

The group had given Wetang'ula 14 days to convene the NDC to elect officials and endorse another presidential candidate, or they would convene it themselves.

The group has proposed Ken Wafula to take over the party's leadership, claiming that Wetang'ula had proved that he was not a national leader. But Wetang'ula termed Munyae a stranger who was relieved of his position in the party two years ago.