NAIROBI, Kenya May 2 – Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has been ousted as Jubilee party leader in escalating wrangles in the former ruling party.
The Kanini Kega-led faction of the party said former Murang’a Woman Rep Sabina Chege is the new party leader on an acting capacity following a National Executive Council (NEC) held on Tuesday.
“Uhuru Kenyatta is no longer our party leader,” Kega said after the meeting in Nairobi, “we have replaced him with Sabina Chege.”
The party has been rocked by leadership wrangles after Kanini clashed with Jeremiah Kioni on who is the bonafide Secretary-General of the former ruling party.
Jubilee Party Vice-Chairman Adan Keynan said the fate of besieged Kioni lies with the party’s internal dispute resolution committee.
This is after the Political Parties Tribunal declined to quash NEC’s resolution that installed EALA MP Kanini Kega as his replacement.
In its judgment delivered on April 16, the tribunal said that the notice for the National Executive Committee meeting issued on February 2 and the subsequent NEC meeting on February 10 which imposed Kega was done in accordance with the party Constitution.
Last week, retired president Kenyatta clashed with police who had cordoned the Jubilee Party Headquarters’ located at Kileleshwa.
“We are not leaving here until you leave,” Kenyatta told the police officers as the supporters who escorted him cheered on.
Soon after, the police officers left the premises granting Kioni’s faction led by Kenyatta to access the party headquarters that had been cordoned off by police officers since morning.
“I want to ask our police officers to kindly follow the law and we have seen you so many times following the path of violating the law. Please adhere to justice because you pledged to protect the country and the people,” said Kenyatta.
Kenyatta who was visibly angered questioned why the police meddled with the internal affairs of the Jubilee party further disrupting the peace and serenity in the community neighboring the party headquarters.
“This property is not ours we have only rented it. We have neighbors surrounding this building yet you have thrown teargas at them so that you can take the house by force. That’s not right, that’s not the law,” he said.
