NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 8 – Four Jubilee affiliate parties on Thursday adopted a resolution dissolving their individual parties, a move they termed as historical in shaping Kenya’s political landscape.
As early as 6am, delegates started thronging the Kasarani National Stadium to append their signatures and approve the proposal seeking to join the Jubilee Party ahead of its launch on Saturday.
The first to merge at Kasarani was Deputy President William Ruto’s United Republican Party (URP) which was represented by among others National Assembly Majority Leader Adan Duale.
“Today’s merger will shape Kenya’s politics. This merger to have one party brings together all those who believe in one Kenya; those who believe in one tribe, those united in religions. We are setting the stage for all those who believe in one nation, in one leadership and one country,” Duale explained to the jubilant crowd.
Speaker after speaker spoke in praise of the merger of Jubilee’s affiliate parties, an idea they viewed as an anchorage to establishing political parties with a national outfit.
Though political parties in Kenya for decades have claimed to be a good representation of the country, URP admitted that majority of parties were tribal and ‘village’ parties.
It was a criticism fronted by Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen who could not hide his joy celebrating Jubilee’s milestone in convincing affiliate parties to dissolve.
“We graduated from forming village parties, we are now forming a national party. We want to kill the idea of tribes. A big party gives an opportunity to all tribes.”
Deputy Speaker and URP’s Joyce Laboso said her party was happy to join Jubilee because it would consider issues that affect women and would also ensure women get representation.
“We have now left URP. We have now signed and said bye bye URP and we have welcomed Jubilee. We have not broken URP we are entering Jubilee voluntarily and for unity. We are showing an example of what a national party looks like.
Next to drop its identity was the Grand National Unity (GNU) Party followed by FORD People who also sang the same song of uniting Kenya and strengthening the Jubilee party which they considered as the engine of promoting unity across the country and also development.
Kalembe Ndile’s Tip Tip also adopted the dissolution agreement.
The four parties vowed to continue supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy in their plans to elect the latter president in 2022 after supporting the incumbent in 2017.
President Kenyatta’s party, The National Alliance was on Thursday afternoon holding its National Delegate Convention to approve the party’s resolution to dissolve into Jubilee.