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Kenya

Narc-K replaces Kamama as vice chairman

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 15 – Baringo East MP Asman Kamama is no longer the Vice Chairperson of Narc-Kenya.

Party Chairperson Martha Karua made the announcement on Thursday morning saying he had been replaced by Augustine Lotodo following the resolution of a National Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday.

Karua said the NEC members conducted a poll during the meeting where Lotodo was selected as their new Vice Chairman.

“We filled the vacancy in the NEC after our Vice Chair left. Lotodo is a member of NEC and is also a member of the Legislative Assembly for East Africa,” she said.

Kamama, who has been aligning himself with the United Republican Party led by William Ruto, is said to have been skipping the party’s meetings and even verbally indicated his intention to step down from the post.

The Gichugu MP in the meantime accused the Registrar of Political Parties of delaying the party registration process saying she was hampering the preparations for the forthcoming polls.

“We call upon the Registrar to stop dragging her feet on the party registration process noting that we submitted our application to her, over three weeks ago, and we have not yet heard from her office,” she charged.

Lotodo also noted the need for the party, which wants elections held in December this year, to prepare early for the polls in line with the Political Parties Act.

“I just want to inform all the Narc-Kenya aspirants that very soon we shall be calling for a retreat here so that we can discuss and come up with a way forward on our preparations,” he said.

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Karua also expressed concern over a 2013 election, as has been suggested by some quarters, saying it would affect the term of the next Parliament by cutting it short.

She noted that the Constitution had already set clear timelines in respect to the elections that will precede the first one under the new constitutional dispensation but was unclear over the fate of the current Assembly.

“The next election after the upcoming one will definitely be on the second Tuesday of August so what will happen to the term of the incoming Parliament and President if we had elections in March and then we had a run off going up to June?” she asked.

“It will mean they will have a four-year term because it will begin in July 2013 and end in August 2017,” she argued.

Karua also observed that it would be impossible to tamper with the terms of the incoming Parliament as well as President without subjecting the Constitution to a referendum.

“Can the Court just do a stroke of the pen and extend their terms? These are the issues that we are canvassing,” she said.

She added that a definite election date would help focus electoral preparations and also help civil servants, interested in seeking elective posts, adhere to the law.

“A precise election date will facilitate the work of the electoral commission to enable candidates comply with the law relating to fundraising and resignation of those in public service,” she said.

“The law on fundraising, for instance, bars candidates from raising funds eight months before elections so how will a candidate measure the eight months without an election date?” she asked.

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However the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has already said that will soon announce the date of the next elections to settle any uncertainties.

Karua also called on the poll body to finalise plans on registering Kenyans in the Diaspora. However the IEBC can only embark on voter registration once the process of setting up boundaries is concluded.

She further urged the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to expedite its works so as to avert any future strikes by civil servants over dues.

“We need to see them at work and see these issues addressed,” she said.

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