Kanini Kega Threatens To Stop Bipartisan Talks, Explains Why

East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega, on Wednesday, May 10 protested the omission of a member of the Jubilee party from the bipartisan talks between the opposition and the government.

Kega wrote to the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, lamenting that the party did not have representation of the talks after Eldas MP Adan Keynan stepped down from the 14-member lineup after complaints from the Azimio la Umoja coalition.

The EALA lawmaker warned that excluding the party, which is the third-largest party in Parliament, would have ramifications in terms of the electoral system of the country.

The Kenya Kwanza, Azimio Coalition bipartisan talks team met for the first time on Thursday, April 20 2023 at Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi. /SENATOR ESTHER OKENYURI

“We write to protest the exclusion of Jubilee Party in the proposed membership of your committee. As you are aware, Hon. Adan Keynan, the only member of the Jubilee Party who had been nominated as a member of the committee stepped down after the leadership of the Azimio Coalition protested his inclusion.

“The proposed mandate of your committee will have far-reaching implications in our electoral process in which Jubilee Party is a major stakeholder. As the third largest political party in Parliament, we strongly protest the exclusion of Jubilee Party in the committee," Kega complained.

The party called for deliberations on the proposed bipartisan process to be halted until the former ruling party is considered.

Kega further issued a 14-day ultimatum, after which it would pursue legal action in the event the committee proceeds with the talks, without a representative from Jubilee.

"We accordingly demand that no further deliberations on the proposed bipartisan process should proceed before our party representation in the process is factored in.

“Please take notice that Jubilee Party will seek legal redress within fourteen days from the date hereof in the event that the proposed bipartisan process proceeds without representation of our party,” Kega added.

He was responding to Narok Senator Ledama Olekina who earlier stated that political parties are owned by a few individuals.

“Political Parties are owned by a few people…soon my old friend Kanini Kega will know that he is still a boy when it comes to ownership of political parties,” said Ledama in a tweet.

Kega had earlier issued a notice suspending the special National Delegates Conference (NDC) that was called by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

A notice by the party dated Friday, April 28 revealed that the meeting was to take place at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on Monday, May 22, 2023.

“Take notice that the Jubilee Party National Executive Committee (NEC) has suspended the notice for a Special National Delegates Conference published in the print media on April 29,” read the notice in part.

Kega further noted that the former ruling party's NEC would convene a special meeting for all the party delegates in the coming days, after which he signed the notice off as the secretary-general.

Side by side image of Kanini Kega, Jeremiah Kioni and former President Uhuru Kenyatta. /VIRALTEAKE