Brian Mureithi @brayomureithi
Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) steering committee co-chairman Dr Noah Wekesa has lauded Parliament for passing the Political Parties Amendment Bill, 2016. Speaking on Friday at JAP headquarters in Lavington, Nairobi, Wekesa commended MPs from both Jubilee and Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) folds for agreeing to strengthen the merger of parties and fast-tracking its passage.
The bill was introduced by the Justice and Legal Affairs committee to facilitate the merger of Jubilee affiliate parties into JAP which faced a legal conundrum after it emerged that the process would render the President, his deputy and governors party-less and lead to a constitutional crisis. In the new amendments, a member of a political party that has merged with another shall be deemed to be a member of the new political party.
It also gives options joining another party or serving as an independent member for all members elected in the previous party that merges with another including the President, his deputy and governors. It further bars a person to use the colours and symbols that were associated with the dissolving parties before the merger.
"Where parties have merged and are dissolved, the particulars including their names, symbols, logos, slogans and colours shall be removed from the register of political parties and shall not be available for registration by any person as a political party in the subsequent election following the merger," says the new amendment.
It also sought to ensure that the concerned parties would also continue to receive funding from the Registrar of Political parties which would have resulted in dilemma had the parties merged. Though he did not give a substantive date, Wekesa said the party is now set to be inaugurated soon by President Uhuru Kenyatta as they were awaiting the passage of the bill to officially launch the party.
“The legal process has been followed and the merger will be very soon after mobilisation and co-ordination of county meetings in the next one month,” said Wekesa adding: “This is one way of uniting Kenyans and it is going to be a historical happening.” “The party is not just for the next general elections but for many years to come.
Many issues of national importance should be discussed together,” he added. He also called on parties that resonated with their political ideologies and in the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy to come forward and create one political party with a following in all corners.
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