Wycliffe Nyamasege
The leadership dispute in the Ford Kenya party has taken a new twist after Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula withdrew a case he had filed before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal against Kanduyi Member of Parliament Wafula Wamunyinyi and Secretary-General Eseli Simiyu.
Wetangula and his legal team led by Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi said on Friday that the move follows a decision by the Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu to withdraw a gazette notice that had published MP Wamunyinyi as the new Ford Kenya party leader.
Havi said the withdrawal of the notice meant that Senator Wetangula had retained his position as the party boss.
“The Registrar of Political Parties has recalled the 8th June gazette notice on changes made to the Ford Kenya party, as far as we are concerned, Wetangula is still the Ford Kenya leader,” Havi said.
The registrar of political parties yesterday asked rival Ford Kenya factions to resolve their dispute internally.
Read: Rival Ford Kenya Factions Directed To Resolve Leadership Wrangles Internally
Should the groups fail to reach a consensus, Ms Nderitu said, they can invoke the dispute resolution mechanisms.
Wetangula had taken the battle to the tribunal on June 10 protesting what he termed as illegal party changes orchestrated by imposters.
Under Wetangula’s leadership, the party intends to discipline members who attempted to dethrone the Senator.
The members led by Eseli have been asked to apologise or face a disciplinary committee.
This writer understands that West Mugirango lawmaker Vincent Kemosi will chair the committee.
Read Also: Registrar of Political Parties Gazettes Intended Removal Of Wetangula As Ford Kenya Leader
Kemosi’s team is expected to listen to submissions of Wamunyinyi , Eseli and the party’s woman league chair Cynthia Mutere.
According to Wetangula, members who attended the purported National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Radisson Blue hotel on May 31 were imposters airlifted from different parts of the country despite Covid-19 restrictions.
“They were airlifting people yesterday from Kisumu and Mombasa, persons who are not officials of the party. Persons who are not NEC members… They took them through an unlawful meeting where they purported to make decisions affecting this party without authority because they are not lawfully assembled and they have no authority to make the changes, ” Wetangula said after reports that he had been ousted.
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