Forming one political party a threat to democracy – Governor Munya

Just a day after the Jubilee Coalition formed a 30-member steering committee to fast-track the dissolution of affiliate parties and the formation of the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP), a section of the leaders have expressed their disapproval of the process.

Meru Governor Peter Munya opposed the push for political parties under Jubilee coalition to dissolve and join JAP.

Munya has faulted Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi for going round to convince leaders in the Meru region to leave their parties and join JAP, the vehicle President Uhuru Kenyatta will use to seek re-election in 2017.

The Meru Governor, who was speaking at SOS children’s home in Meru town, said such a move will stifle multi-party democracy and vowed to block such advances.

This comes only a day, after Murungi led a JAP meeting in Nairobi and urged leaders in the ruling jubilee coalition to join JAP.

Key coalition constituent parties of the ruling coalition, among them The National Alliance (TNA), the United Republican Party (URP), Ford Kenya, the Alliance Party popularly known as the Bus, the Republican Council among others have until December this year to close shop and lead their members into JAP.

A five-hour consultative meeting at the JAP headquarters on Friday attended by leaders of the Jubilee affiliate parties resolved to set up a 30-member national steering committee led by Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi and former Cabinet Minister Dr. Noah Wekesa to oversee the process of transforming the parties into a single political entity.

The team includes Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki, his National Assembly counterpart Aden Duale, Kericho Senator Charles Keter, lawmakers Dr. Naomi Shaaban, Katoo Ole Metito, Jamleck Kamau, Alice Ng’ang’a, Joyce Emanikor and Mary Emase among others.

In early September, President Uhuru Kenyatta said all parties under the Jubilee Alliance must be dissolved and join the newly formed JAP since this will be his vehicle in the 2017 polls.

The President said parties that are now part of Jubilee should start gearing up to join JAP before the 2017 General Elections campaigns kick off.

President Kenyatta spoke when he met 300 Jubilee delegates from Mombasa and tipped them on how to ensure a smooth transition to JAP.

He said the best way is to share JAP leadership positions among political parties that form the Jubilee Alliance.

“Officials of every branch should comprise leaders from all the parties under the Jubilee alliance,” said the President.

He urged the delegates to attract more supporters for the party and not to oppose the inclusion of people from other parties in government.

“We have good faith and that is why we give jobs to people from other parties.”

President Kenyatta said “politics is a game of numbers’’, and every politician should understand that there is no other route to winning an election but more votes.