Allies of Governor Sakaja Granted Relief by Political Parties Tribunal

The ousted minority leadership of the Nairobi County Assembly has found respite through a decision by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal. This decision has effectively halted the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) from implementing changes that had previously affected their positions.

The Tribunal's order was issued on a Tuesday, following the submission of affidavits by the aggrieved side, represented by former Minority Leader Anthony Kiragu Karanja and Minority Chief Whip Mark Mugambi. Chairperson of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, Desma Nungo, issued a ruling in which she emphasized that, until the inter partes hearing is conducted and a decision is reached, the UDA party, named as a respondent in the case, should not interfere with the status, privileges, or conditions of the applicants.

Mr. Nungo stated, "That pending the inter partes hearing and determination of this application, this Honourable Court hereby makes an interim order restraining the 2nd respondent from enforcing and/or giving effect to the decision of the 1st respondent to remove the complainants/applicants as Minority Leader and Minority Chief Whip of the 1st respondent."

A significant concern raised by the aggrieved side revolves around the authenticity of the signatures collected by another faction of members. These signatures were submitted to the party headquarters and subsequently validated.

The tribunal has now granted both the respondents and interested parties a seven-day window to file and serve their responses to the petition. On November 7, the tribunal will assess whether compliance has been met and subsequently announce the hearing date for the case. This development reflects the ongoing struggle within the Nairobi County Assembly and raises questions about the integrity of the process involving the UDA and minority leadership changes.

Raising Concerns

Mr. Kiragu has alleged that some signatures were added on behalf of members without their consent, which has raised concerns about the authenticity of the entire process. The changes were officially announced by Cleophas Malala, the party's secretary-general, after a decision made by a faction of UDA MCAs. Both Mr. Kiragu and Mr. Mugambi, who are close allies of Sakaja, seem to have lost confidence in the party's dispute resolution committee. This committee had previously assured them that the decision to be made at the party's headquarters on October 26 would be impartial. The party has appointed Esther Waithera Chege as the Minority Leader and Joyce Muthoni as the Minority Whip. Deonysias Mwangi from Githurai County was also named Deputy Minority Leader, and Samora Mwaura from Clay City was appointed Deputy Minority Whip. In an attempt to resolve the ongoing conflicts, the ruling party had invited all elected members in Nairobi to attend a crisis meeting on Thursday. However, Ms. Muthoni, the appointed minority whip, declined to attend and stated that she and 26 other members would not participate in the meeting because the matter was already before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal. She emphasized the importance of refraining from discussing ongoing cases outside proper channels to maintain the fairness and integrity of the adjudication process.