URP chairman Francis ole Kaparo (right) addresses a news conference flanked by the party's secretary general Davis Chirchir January 3, 2013 in Nairobi. The party announced that it will hold its nominations on January 17. STEPHEN MUDIARI
By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com and LEONARD MUTINDA lmutinda@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, January 3 2013 at 22:00
Posted Thursday, January 3 2013 at 22:00
IN SUMMARY
- Change seen as move by parties to forestall defections by nomination losers
United Republican Party and Wiper Democratic Movement have moved their nominations to January 17 as voters and aspirants complained that they were listed in parties they didn’t belong to.
ODM was the first to push its nomination date from January 10 to 17, a day before the January 18 deadline set by the electoral commission for parties to conduct their nominations.
The bid to have primaries on January 17, is seen as an apparent move by political parties to forestall defections by losers since the new date is only a day to the deadline for MPs to switch parties following the signing into law of the Miscellaneous Law (Amendment) Bill, 2012, which gave the lawmakers an extra 14 days from January 4 to party-hop.
Following the development, Wiper leader Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka will meet the party’s aspirants today at the Machakos Golf Club as URP’s Francis ole Kaparo announced to his party’s hopefuls that: “You have until 1pm tomorrow (Friday) to submit your applications or else you will miss the boat.”
The change of dates by both ODM and URP came amid fears that scores of aspirants and voters had their names appearing on the registers of political parties other than the ones they belong to, endangering their chances of participating in party nominations.
On Wednesday, Cooperative Development assistant minister Jebii Kilimo who is allied to TNA accused URP of secretly de-registering Uhuru party members and passing them off as its members without their consent.
Mrs Kilimo threatened to report the Jubilee Coalition partner to the Registrar of Political Parties after detecting the anomaly she said was carried out by URP officials in her Marakwet East Constituency.
She complained that several TNA members from her region including herself had been “de-registered” only to later find their names in the URP list submitted to the RPP’s office.
“I realised yesterday (Tuesday) when I was campaigning back at home that I had been put in the URP list. I do not understand this because I am a TNA member. I joined the party by choice,” a visibly infuriated Ms Kilimo said at a press conference in Parliament.
Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima of ODM also complained that his name was not on the party’s list.
On Thursday, an aspirant for Marama Central ward in Kakamega County, Mr Philip Ondako Maina also complained that his name had been listed on the Alliance for Real Change register.
URP spokesman Adan Duale dismissed Ms Kilimo’s claims challenging her to channel her complaints to the RPP.
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