Update: 6:00 p. m. Capital Fm reports that the Registrar of Parties has halted Jubilee Party's Management Committee changes. A dispute resolution process would be initiated at a later date after 350 petitions were signed.
Deputy President William Ruto's efforts to wrestle President Uhuru Kenyatta on controlling Jubilee Party hit a snag after the registrar of political parties, Anne Nderitu, confirmed that the changes proposed within Jubilee were valid and constitutional.
A report by the Standard on Friday, April 17, detailed that Nderitu approved the changes that were gazetted on Monday, April 6, in which Jubilee appointed a new National Management Committee (NMC).
"The intention to change the Jubilee Party's nomination management committee followed the law. For us, we look at the documents and confirm if they have been signed by the relevant officials, and in this case that was done," Nderitu approved.
Ruto led the onslaught against the Jubilee administration as his allies poked holes in the gazette notice which announced that four new officials including Lucy Nyawira Macharia, Marete Marangu, Walter Nyambati, James Nampaso and James Waweru would assume office.
The DP distanced himself from attacking Kenyatta, arguing that the changes, which sparked a protest were being made by disloyal Jubilee officials.
"The President and party leader of the Jubilee Party did not and cannot be a party to any fraudulent and illegal changes to officials of our party. This is the work of political rejects, conmen, fraudsters whose party allegiance is already elsewhere. They should give us a break and leave the Jubilee Party alone," Ruto argued.
He followed up with a tweet on April 14, stating that since Jubilee Party Secretary-general Raphael Tuju apparently launched the plan to oust him from the party, some 146 MPs and senators had signed a petition to reject the changes.
"The letter to make the changes was written on 23rd March and noise around the reply by the registrar is unwarranted," Tuju hit back in an interview with NTV.
On Thursday, April 16, legislators allied to Ruto visited Nderitu's office, demanding to verify documents that legally backed the changes, as they accused Tuju of misleading President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"We don't favour anyone, but all we want is fairness. NEC has not had a meeting for three years. So we want to see the documents that gave the Registrar the legal backing. Jubilee is not private property. The issue is not even the process but the documents," Jubilee deputy secretary-general Caleb Kositany stated.
"The President who is the party leader, should convene the meeting and in his absence, the deputy leader (Ruto). But Tuju and the deep state are misleading the president that if he convenes a meeting, he will be embarrassed," Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria lamented.
However, analyst Herman Manyora argued that Ruto and his allies were wasting time and effort fighting Kenyatta as time had proven that they wouldn't succeed.
"All along they knew that Jubilee belonged to Kenyatta and they don't have any more value to the party, or we can say they are of nuisance value. Instead of Kenyatta's allies pulling out, Ruto and his friends should walk away," Manyora informed Kenyans.co.ke.
