Ford Kenya National Executive Council (NEC) has ousted Moses Wetangula as party leader.
In a special meeting on Sunday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, the council voted to replace Wetangula with Kanduyi Member of Parliament Wafula Wamunyinyi.
Addressing the press after delegates meeting, Ford Kenya Secretary-General Esseli Simiyu said Wetangula was removed on account of gross violation of the Constitution, the law and moral impropriety.
Simiyu said the party had lost its ideals under Wetangula’s leadership.
According to Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati, who attended the meeting, Wetangula was stripped of his role over failure to foster unity in the party.
“This is not a light decision. It is heavy one,” said Wangamati.
He added, “A lot of realignment is going on at the national level. As ford K we want to be part of the conversation. We took this decision because we want to be part of the next government.”
The Bungoma Senator was also accused of having interfered in the party’s 2017 nomination process that cost Ford Kenya parliamentary seats and failing to reconcile warring parties to eliminate friction.
Also kicked out during the meeting was the party’s organising secretary Chris Mandu Mandu who was replaced by Josephine Maungu.
Ms Maungu and Wamunyinyi, NEC said, will hold the positions on an interim basis pending ratification by the National Delegates Congress.
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Earlier in the day, a group of youth allied to Wetangula had attempted to stop the meeting claiming the party was being hijacked by ‘selfish individuals’ with ulterior motives.
The youth were, however, dismissed and the meeting went on uninterrupted.
Ford Kenya under the leadership of Wetangula has been part of the National Supper Alliance (NASA) coalition alongside Raila Odinga’s ODM, Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC and Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party.
The marriage has, however, been chaotic with the rest of the parties accusing ODM of sidelining them after the March 9, 2018 handshake between Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta.
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