Machakos Governor, Alfred Mutua, has suffered a major blow after Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) threw out an application seeking to withdraw his Maendeleo Chap Chap Party from Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party.
In its Tuesday, May 10, ruling, PPDT stated that Mutua and his party should have sought internal alternatives in resolving the disagreements within Azimio.
Mutua had moved to the Tribunal seeking an advisory on whether the agreement with Azimio was binding.
The Machakos governor argued that his party joined Azimio within six months to the election and hence the clause blocking member parties from leaving six months to the election does not hold.
The directive now leaves Mutua with the option of seeking to resolve the matter internally with Azimio La Umoja, despite having joined Deputy President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza.
Advocate Brenda Mdivo, who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke, noted that the terms stipulated within Azimio were binding and Governor Mutua had to justify whether or not he knew about the agreement before appending his signature.
"When you enter into a contract, the terms are decided by the party, it's up to you to decide. For Azimio, they decided anyone cannot leave six months prior to the elections.
"For whatever reason, whether it was fully disclosed to the party or not they will have to justify it. In the case of Mutua, he claimed that the six-month rule was running when they signed," she argued.
Mutua, while speaking in a media interview, had revealed that the Azimio agreement was shrouded in secrecy and hence sought a deal with Kenya Kwanza whose terms were transparent.
"In Kenya Kwanza, it's very clear how many CSs, ambassadors and PSs positions we are getting unlike in Azimio where we were being promised positions if they win the election.
"I’m now a principal in Kenya Kwanza and we are negotiating with other principals to sign a deal," Mutua intimated.
