By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press-Kenya Last week Kenya’s ruling Party Jubilee’s parliamentary group while in the meeting which was held at State House in Nairobi, announced that they will not field a presidential candidate in the August 9, elections.
Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto, Opposition leader and former prime minister Raila Odinga, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi and several others, including former governors and diplomats, have expressed interest in running to become Kenya’s fifth president.
Greenlight
The move clears the path for the opposition leader for Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Raila Odinga who has been courting the ruling outfit since the March 9, 2018, Handshake.
Endorsement
Jubilee party, which is closely working with the ODM leader, is expected to endorse him for the presidency at the National Delegates Conference scheduled for February 25 and 26.
Basis
A statement by the party’s secretary-general Raphael Tuju disclosed that the meeting resolved that the Jubilee party will field a presidential candidate with who they share common ideals, a candidate who will treat members with respect and with whom the party can form the next government as an ‘Anchor Partner’, to continue with the work done in the last 10 years.
Reading between the lines
The party did not openly declare that Raila is the man they will back, comments by senior party officials have alluded to the ruling outfit endorsing the ODM leader.
Preparations
Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe had announced in January that the party will have a twin National Delegates Congress (NDC) alongside ODM that will culminate in announcing Raila at Nyayo National Stadium as the joint presidential candidate. Also, Kieni MP Kanini Kega on Thursday revealed to a local media that Friday’s meeting was to draft a plan that will guide on how the ruling outfit will join the Azimio La Umoja movement.
Reconditioning
The Jubilee party Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting also agreed on modalities of revamping the party with the president promising to hit the ground running in a bid to ensure the outfit bags a majority seat in the August 9, elections. The party members exuded confidence that the planned revitalization will breathe a new life to the Jubilee party that has appeared to lack the political mojo it possessed ahead of the 2017 elections.
This followed the exit of DP Ruto and his allies who joined the United Democratic Alliance (UDA,) a vehicle they will use to seek elective seats in the forthcoming polls.
The plan
The party will embark on a strategic and aggressive campaign that will ensure that the party emerges as the majority party at the Council of Governors, National Assembly, Senate, and in over 30 county assemblies.
Succession plan
It is now in the open that Kenyan President Uhuru is pushing for his brother Raila as his successor when he retires this year. This followed Uhuru pressuring One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals to drop their ambitions and support Odinga for the presidency in the upcoming general elections during a meeting he held at the State House in Mombasa last year in August.
Things fall apart
President Uhuru’s relationship with his deputy and his successor Ruto took a turn when Jubilee entered a pact with opposition leader Raila. On 19 March 2018, President Uhuru and Raila shook hands in a symbolic gesture that ended months of tensions following the disputed election in 2017 that gave Uhuru a second term.
Popularised as the “handshake,” the agreement has caused major rifts within the ruling party since it ushered in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Cracks
Allies to DP Ruto accuses Raila of “hijacking” the Jubilee Party for political interests, while proponents of the handshake and the BBI fault Ruto’s allies for curtailing Kenyatta’s initiative to unite Kenyans.
