Kioni, Murathe suspended as 30 Jubilee members quit opposition

Fomer President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party has been turned into a Tower of Babel, where harried National Executive Committee (NEC) members fired acting Secretary General (SG) Jeremiah Kioni, just hours after it signalled its intention to expel 30 'rebel' MPs.

The party's national chairman, Nelson Dzuya, told journalists in Nakuru yesterday that East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Kanini Kega will be acting as the SG, pending the national special national delegates convention within six months.

Dzuya, who invited Kega to read the resolution of the NEC/parliamentary group meeting, revealed that the party was in the process of quitting Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition.

But in a swift rejoinder, Jubilee communication officer Polycarp Hinga dismissed the NEC meeting held in Nakuru, saying it was hurriedly convened by "accused persons after learning of the disciplinary actions being taken against them."

"They have rushed to convene a purported "NEC". The meeting was not properly convened and its resolutions mean nothing. Hon. Kioni remains the SG, Hon. Murathe remains the vice chair and Jubilee Party is in Azimio to stay," said Hinga in a short statement.

On Wednesday, 30 MPs from Jubilee met President Willliam Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua at State House, Nairobi.

The lawmakers vowed to support the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration and promised to quit Raila Odinga-led Azimio coalition.

The MPs who visited President Ruto at State House in Nairobi are Adan Keynan (Eldas), Sabina Chege (Nominated MP), Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji), John Waluke (Sirisia), Samuel Arama (Nakuru West), Rachael Nyamai (Kitui South), Irene Njoki (Bahati) and Margaret Kamar.

Others are Balambala MP Omar Shurie and Isiolo Woman Representative Fatuma Dullo.

In Nakuru, Dzuya said Jubilee can no longer afford to lose more members due to internal wrangles and unpopular decisions by a few people to expel members.

"As it stands now, Jeremiah Kioni is suspended and Kega takes over in acting capacity pending the convening the Special National Delegates Convention within six months from today," he said before inviting Kega to read the resolutions.

In what turns to be a case of the hunter being hunted, Kega announced the immediate suspension of several party officials, including national vice chairman Murathe and National Treasurer Kagwe Gichohi, whose cases were referred to the party's internal dispute resolution mechanism.

"The suspended officials include former SG Jeremiah Kioni, National treasurer Mr Kagwe Gichohi and the national vice chairman David Murathe," said Kega.

To replace them, the party appointed new members in acting capacity, among them Rachel Nyamae as acting national treasurer and Adan Keynan as acting vice chair.

MPs Irene Njoki (Bahati), Sabina Chege (nominated), Senate Deputy Speaker Prof Margaret Kamar and Jerusha Momanyi (Nyamira Woman rep) were brought on board the Jubilee party's NEC for gender balance.

Others include Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo as a member and Wilson Mwangi acting national chair of National ward reps caucus.

During the meeting with the president, the Jubilee MPs pledged to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration.

In a statement, President Ruto said the leaders visited him to "foster coexistence and work together in confronting the challenges facing our country."

But Kioni immediately dismissed the significance of the meeting, saying it did not influence in any way the party's stand, saying Jubilee remains firmly in Azimio.

He later instituted the disciplinary process against the lawmakers, who he said had violated the party constitution.

However, yesterday the NEC dismissed Kioni's actions against the MPs, dismissing the move as null and void.

The chairman added that the members who had been addressed in the letters should ignore them, affirming that he was the only person who would initiate such processes.

"As the national chairman, I'm the one in charge of discipline...the only one who can sanction any disciplinary action and not Kioni. Our members should not be intimidated," said Dzuya.

The chairman added that the party which has lean numbers in both houses of Parliament could not afford to lose a single member, saying such actions during the last term were regrettable.

"We cannot repeat the same mistake that we did last time. Those mistakes are the reason why we are where we are today. We had over 140 members (MPs). Today we have around 30," said Dzuya.

He defended yesterday's NEC meeting saying they had a quorum of 14 out of the 21 members in attendance and the parliamentary group meeting, and that the resolutions made were passed within the confines of the party's constitution.

"From this minute, it has been resolved that Kanini Kega be the acting Secretary General of the Jubilee Party pending the convention of the national delegates conference," said Dzuya.

Dzuya fell short of directly defending Jubilee MPs who visited State House and pledged to work with the government when he said that the party's NEC was in charge and not Kioni.

Mr Kega described the meeting as successful citing that this was the first-ever Jubilee NEC meeting though the party's constitution states that they should have one every four months.

He added that the party will initiate the process of leaving the opposition coalition led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

"The party will convene a special National Delegates Conference within six months. Pending this, NEC will commence the process of leaving Azimio coalition," said Kega.

He said the NEC will work closely with the ruling coalition signaling their plan to work with President William Ruto who was unceremoniously exited from Jubilee in favour of Raila in the presidential contest.

"NEC will engage the ruling coalition on a possibility of creating a working cooperation arrangement with it. NEC demands that the party be recognised as a parliamentary party with all rights and benefits accruing taking into account it is the third largest party," he said.