President William Ruto's allies have heightened their onslaught on embattled Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, seeking his expulsion from the party.
In a press statement released on Friday, the faction led by East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP, Kanini Kega, wants Kioni to be kicked out from Jubilee over links to a new party, Kamwene.
Kioni was accused of forming the Kamwene Party while still serving as Jubilee's Secretary General prior to a court ruling deciding the future of the party marred by the rise of splinter groups.
He was also alleged to have disobeyed the conservatory orders issued by the court, barring him from acting on behalf of Jubilee pending the determination of the court case.
“Our legal team has been instructed to bring to the attention of the High Court the contemptuous manner in which Kioni continues to treat its orders,” read part of the party’s communique.
“As such apply the setting aside of those conservatory orders so that Kioni can be truly free to launch his recently established Kamwene Party,” read the communique further.
Kega further claimed that Kioni, a former Ndaragua MP, single-handedly reorganised the party's organs, contrary to the orders.
According to Kega, Kioni has no power to convene any party organ meetings or Replace National Executive Committee (NEC) members with non-members of Jubilee.
"His powers to write 'dismissal letters' to members of the Internal Disputes Resolution Committee and the National Disciplinary Committee have also been stripped," Kega alleged, further warning members of the public against adhering to his rival's directive.
The duo are battling for control of the party, each identifying themselves as the Secretary General. However, two months ago, Kioni claimed President Ruto was determined to kill the party by infiltrating and weakening it.
"You can hear him say Jubilee is a sinking party. Ruto himself said Jubilee is a dead party. Why are they interested in a copy? " Kioni stated on August 23, 2023.
Jubilee Party leader, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, also warned that he would not release the party from his grasp, and further declined to retire as mandated by the Constitution.
Uhuru, on Wednesday, replaced eight officials who Ruto poached to join the government. The changes were made in line with Section 23 of the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012.
Meanwhile, Kega's faction, on Friday, warned the National Dialogue Committee (NDC) against recommending changes to the Jubilee Party prior to the determination of pending court cases.
The bipartisan team highlighted Rutio's interference with Jubilee as one of the key issues escalating tensions between the government and the opposition.
