PNU locks out rebel leaders
By BERNARD NAMUNANE
Rebel leaders of PNU affiliates were locked out of top positions as President Kibaki was named party chairman during a parliamentary group meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday.
The move marked the first blow that the President had struck against the leaders of Narc Kenya, Ford Kenya and the Democratic Party. The parties are opposed to the President’s bid to form a strong and united PNU.
It also improved the prospects for Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Internal Security minister George Saitoti who have supported the President’s efforts to unite PNU.
However, the move only hardened the positions taken by Justice minister Martha Karua (Narc-K), Nominated MP Musikari Kombo (Ford-K) and Mr Jacob Haji (the DP secretary-general).
The three said they were not interested in the high changes that had been agreed on during a PNU Parliamentary Group meeting which was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi.
Individual members
The meeting endorsed a proposal to open PNU to individual members. Before then, the party only had corporate members, including Kanu, Safina and several other parties that supported President Kibaki in his bid for a second and final term as head of State ahead of last year’s General Election.
The talks set up a leadership structure for PNU and agreed on a new party constitution that prohibits leaders of affiliate parties from participating in PNU elections.
“Only leaders who participate in grassroots elections will be allowed to vie for national positions,” said the PNU coordinator, Dr Noah Wekesa.
The Forestry and Wildlife minister was briefing the press after a two-hour meeting during which President Kibaki was named PNU chairman and party leader.
All other positions, which were created with the aim of accommodating leaders of affiliate parties that back the unity mission, were left vacant.
“For other positions, any aspirant must start from the grassroots level, which means leaders of affiliate parties will not be eligible,” he said.
Other positions in the new structure include two slots for vice chairmen, a secretary-general and two deputies, a treasurer and two deputies, organising secretary and deputies.
Dr Wekesa and Nominated MP George Nyamweya said that the positions were not tailor-made for any leader. They said all aspirants will have to win party elections at the grassroots.
“We have not attached any individual names to the positions. Obviously that is not the way to go. Leaders will be elected right from the grassroots,” said Dr Wekesa.
It emerged later that the meeting, which came against a backdrop of sustained unity efforts by the President, brought together his allies and locked out dissenting leaders of affiliate parties.
Narc-K, Ford-K, and DP have been opposed to the unity efforts. The last two meetings attended by the dissenting leaders ended in disagreement.
Reports have indicated that the President could be uniting the party in readiness to handing over the leadership baton to either Mr Musyoka, Mr Kenyatta or Prof Saitoti.
Mr Musyoka was represented at the meeting by deputy government chief whip Johnstone Muthama. Mr Kenyatta and Prof Saitoti attended.
Sources said that only President Kibaki, Dr Wekesa and Mr Nyamweya spoke during the meeting.
At a press conference later in the day, Ms Karua, Mr Kombo and Mr Haji said they had not been invited to the meeting and were not interested in the resolutions passed.
Said Ms Karua: “I am already aspiring for the leadership of this country on a Narc Kenya ticket and not under PNU.”
The Narc-K chairperson said she had no intentions of seeking any national office in PNU.
“How can you belong to two parties? We are growing Narc Kenya for the purposes of contesting for leadership in 2012. We will not stand in the way of others and they should also let us do our own things,” she said.
Mr Kombo said that it had sent Mr Bifwoli Wakoli to represent the party’s interests during yesterday’s talks.
“There are some things that they (pro-unity MPs) are working on that we oppose vehemently but we were represented at the meeting. Ford Kenya is in a coalition with PNU until 2012 and when the time comes, new positions will be taken,” the nominated MP said.
And Mr Bifwoli said: “Ford Kenya is on its own.”
Mr Haji, the spokesman of DP, on whose ticket President Kibaki unsuccessfully vied for the leadership of the country twice, said they were not invited to the meeting. However, he stated that they would not be affected by the decisions that reached yesterday.
“Those were PNU matters because our national executive council was also meeting at the same time. We will announce to you (press) the resolutions next Tuesday although we know that come 2012, we will meet PNU in the political battlefield,” he said.
With President Kibaki set to depart the political arena in 2012, key leaders in the PNU coalition which brings together Narc-K, DP, Ford-K, Kanu, GNU, Safina, Ford People and other fringe parties are engaged in a silent battle that would position them ahead of the pack in staking claim to replacing the Head of State.
While Mr Kenyatta, Prof Saitoti, and Cabinet minister Kiraitu Murungi have stated the need for a united PNU, Ms Karua and Mr Kombo are leading a team of assistant ministers and MPs who want affiliate parties to decide their fate.
Ms Karua, in specific, has come under attack from the President’s allies who accuse her of attempting to divide the Mt Kenya vote. In turn, she has urged those hiding behind the President’s back to step forward and fight their own political battles.
Dr Wekesa explained that the only change they had effected was that the party will open up for individual membership and we will embark on the membership drive countrywide immediately.
“Following endorsement of the changes, PNU will now be free to recruit individual members country and the centre of our operation will be at the constituency level although a lot of activities will be based at locations,” he said.
Among those in attendance were deputy PM Kenyatta, Cabinet ministers Saitoti, Murungi, Mohamed Kuti, Wekesa, Esther Murugi, Yusuf Haji, assistant ministers Wakoli, Ndiritu Muriithi, Peter Kenneth, MPs George Thuo, Ephraim Maina, Abu Chiaba, David Ngugi, Lenny Kivuti and Johnstone Muthama.
Courtesy of:http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/452618/-/view/printVersion/-/h5kpjsz/-/index.html
1 user commented in " PNU locks out the popular “Mt Kenya Iron lady” as “Kibaki” takes charge to steer up “Saitoti” for succession "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackKalonzo should think twice his association with Gema who are not ready to support him for the
presidency he was promised in exchange to his support which undermined the opposition from taking over the government.Kalonzo’s lack of principle will cause him dearly.This is man who
supported Moi and his dictatorship and he still thinks he can be elected president of this country with his bad records of stomach politics.
If kenya makes a mistake of electing Kalonzo the president ,they will face dictatorship which they have never seen. People should take note of politicians who appear timid like Moi and Kibaki before they were elected presidents of kenya.These two presidents have ended the worst dictators who were killed many people silently.
Kalonzo will do the same thing since he somebody who hides his true color under christianty such like Moi and Kibaki.
Kenya should not make mistake of electing either Uhuru or Saitoti because these two leaders want leadership to cover up the corruption in the government.When they elected the misuse of police and theft in the government will continue.
If kenyans must elect only somebody from Mt.Kenya region then they should elect Karua. She has not been involved in direct corrupt though she has been protected corrupt people.
If GEMA people insist of dominating other tribes the way Kibaki is showing,kenya should
prepare themselves of total destruction of our beloved country.Everybody is buy monitoring the
steps gema is taking and when the time reaches kenyans will the right decision to fight against domination by one tribe.
Kenyans reaction against the gema plans will not be peaceful and alright we see our school children are behaving. It is a very bad sign of our future.It shows that people want change in the entire system of the government.
The cosmetic changes the givernment is trying to make will make situation worse.We want the
constitution be changed so that injustice which were committed by the previous and present regimes should be addressed and action taken.
We all know that under Kibaki this change the constitution will not happen unless people
forced him.Kenyan should remember that kibaki was in the forefront against changing the constitution to allow multiparty.This man will always cheat kenyans . Kenyans should wake up
and get away of dealing with this dictator once for all.
Kibaki is ready to bring more deaths inorder to retain the statu quo because that will favour his friends and relatives to continue exploiting the resources from other regions. Kenyans should start demanding Majimbo now.
Coast people have started demanding their jimbo and other regions should start demanding their own jimbos. We hope Coast will continue demanding their jimbo despite the secret meeting Kibaki had with their leaders. We hope these leaders never met Kibaki for” Kitu Kidogo”. We are tired of stomach politicians.
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