With three days until the big launch, deadlock and squabbling persist over who gets powerful posts in the Jubilee Party that is supposed to unify Kenya.
The Star has established President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday was unable to end the stalemate and fighting over coveted interim positions, despite a peace-making meeting at State House.
Elected politicians and aspirants are to be barred from interim positions on the the 77-member National Executive Committee. It includes 21 top national offices and 47 county chairmanships.
Many politicians are resentful and don't want professionals and technocrats to run the show. They say only they have the vast experience, connections with supporters and donors and know what wananchi wants.
There have been boardroom wars among the dozen affiliate parties merging into JP.
They must wait until Saturday's launch, however, to know who's who on the list.
Uhuru did tell leaders to stop fighting over positions and focus on making the launch extravaganza a success. He also met Jubilee governors and those allied to the coalition, urging them to mobilise people for the launch.
"The President listened to arguments for and against politicians holding party positions and told us he and DP William Ruto are in control of the process, as they had promised," a senior Jubilee member told the Star in confidence
Expert comment:JP is nothing but a vehicle for Ruto’s bid in 2022
On August 9 Uhuru said those running for office would not be included among interim officials, a position shared by his TNA party.
Apparently no one listened.
However, Ruto's URP, APK, UDF and NFK said the party constitution allows anyone to hold interim positions.
TNA and Jubilee strategists around Uhuru are opposed to politicians running the party. This is to avoid conflict of interest and fallout arising from their influence on nominations.
"Those seeking elective office should not be part of the process producing our candidates. This is key to ensure each and every person seeking elective office knows they will get a free and fair chance of succeeding," Uhuru said at State House on August 9.
However, Yesterday JP steering committee chairman Senator Kiraitu Murungi (Meru) said their constitution leaves positions open to all.
"Our constitution allows for anyone to be appointed to party positions. This includes sitting elected leaders as well as aspirants," Kiraitu said.
Kiraitu told the Star the party only has two officials — Uhuru as party leader and Ruto as deputy.
"As the steering committee, we agreed the interim positions will be filled by the two using the agreed formula. There is no list. Anyone saying there is one is doing so in bad faith to cause friction within the party," he said.
He explained the first criterion Uhuru and Ruto are using is party strength, given votes won in 2013.
"This means TNA and URP get the lion's share of positions, with the rest of the party sharing the rest. We have 77 national officials' positions and everyone will be accommodated," he said.
The APK leader said the second criterion is reflecting the country's diversity, ensuring all communities are represented, the two-thirds gender principle is applied and youth and persons living with disability are included.
However, Ruto's URP, Kiraitu's APK, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka's NFK and UDF want politicians fully involved in running the party.
The top 21 national officials have been divided among parties, with TNA and URP getting the greatest proportion.
Uhuru's circle is opposed to the plan by the four parties seeking to run the Jubilee Party as it did TNA in 2013.
On May 12, 2012, Uhuru launched TNA and appointed officials who were non-politicians not running for election.
Only chairman Johnson Sakaja was a direct beneficiary of the elections after TNA nominated him for Parliament.
Other officials waited for more than a year before they could land jobs within government, despite being in the ruling party.
UDF Party leader Ben Washiali said they want to be given the national treasurer’s position. Washiali had been listed as deputy national treasurer in the list Uhuru rejected.
"As UDF, we are putting our bid for the treasurer's position because Kiraitu Murungi’s Alliance Party of Kenya wants the chairman position and New Ford Kenya wants secretary general," Washiali said.
Lusaka's party NFK says that according to the agreed deal, the position of JP chair and secretary general should go to either New Ford Kenya or APK. This will help sell JP in Western, he said.
Jubilee MPs are also sharply divided over technocrats being interim officials.
Cornelly Serem (Aldas), Korei Lemein (Narok South) and John Kiragu (Limuru) want politicians to manage the party because they have experience and connections with supporters and donors.
"Politicians have huge experience and direct contact with common mwananchi. They should be able to bring their expertise," Serem said.
He said technocrats who largely sit in the office do not understand political dynamics and therefore cannot make decisions that resonate with the electorate or supporters.
"Political parties are the business of politicians. Whoever is appointed an official must be a politician," Kiragu said. "Even if they are technocrats, once they are put there they are politicians."
But MPs Kanini Kega (Kieni) John Kihage (Naivasha) and Bernard Bett (Bomet East) supported technocrats, saying they would be trusted to manage the party because they will not have conflict of interest.
"The only leaders confirmed are the President and the Deputy President, because they have no opponents, for the rest, no, we must have technocrats to limit nomination squabbles," he said.
He said the new party should adapt a TNA strategy to staff the secretariat with on-politicians..
"Despite one or two cases, TNA had no issues at all," he said.