Jubilee leaders want party meeting called after Uhurus outburst

A section of Jubilee legislators are now looking up to President Uhuru Kenyatta to call for a parliamentary group meeting to resolve deepening differences within the party.

While analysts agree that President Kenyatta’s outburst in Kikuyu language on Sunday was aimed at allies of his deputy William Ruto, the Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen believes the head of state has no reason to be angry.

“…If he was addressing the DP, he would have spoken in Kiswahili or English. Some of the MPs in central are very hardworking, like Alice Wahome, Ndindi Nyoro and Kimani Ichungwa…in the contrary the President should be thanking him. Why would the President who is almost 60 fight a man who is not even 30?,” queried Murkomen.

Here is a party divided on the focus of President Kenyatta, a president who believes that his legacy is in bequeathing the young, political and economic stability.

To do that, he has been working with ODM leader Raila Odinga in what he terms finding solutions to historical electoral instability.

That political handshake has, however, been a bone of contention within the party giving birth to two camps; team tanga tanga allied to DP William Ruto that reads sinister motive in Odinga’s agenda and team Kieleweke, keen on defending Kenyatta’s chosen path.

“The DP has been calling out the hypocrisy. Joho is on record that Raila told them to fight the DP… But the party dormancy is contributed to the confusion we have…Kieleweke and Tangatanga…,” said Murkomen.

The division is so deep that for nearly 16 months the ruling party has had no parliamentary group meeting which is evidently the desire of many now.

“We need to have that meeting and iron out these differences,” said Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura.

Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju however said that he can only call for a PG upon request by President Kenyatta.

The party last held such a meeting in February 2018 just before opening of Parliament which was the second time in the life of the 12th parliament.

“…I am concerned about the President is his anger, as a second term president he should be inspiring. I am concerned when he looks frustrated because that permeates to the entire country,” noted Murkomen.

While some of Jubilee legislators believe a parliamentary group meeting is a key to resolving the Jubilee crisis, observers are of the view that the differences elicited are so entrenched to address the crisis in a sitting of a few hours.