Opposition supporters look for another imaginary candidate in 2022 because even Peter Kenneth has read the mood on the ground and he knows Central this time has no opposition and is very much motivated to finally retire babuon from national politics. This latest move is a result of months of talks between DP Uncle Ruto and Peter Kenneth on elections 2022. PK now joins others in the race to be DP Uncle Ruto running mate or influential power broker come 2022 within Jubilee Party.
By BERNARD NAMUNANE
Former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth has resigned from his Kenya National Congress party as he prepares to launch his bid for the Nairobi governor’s seat on a Jubilee Party ticket. Mr Kenneth dropped his presidential ambitions to support the re-election of President Kenyatta. He apparently sought the simplest way to stop the attacks from some Jubilee Party MPs, who last week gave him a two-week ultimatum to dissolve his Congress party. The former Gatanga MP wrote to the Registrar of Political Parties, Lucy Ndung’u, last week, tendering his resignation as a member of the the party.
“Be informed that effective the date of this letter, I have resigned from membership of KNC. Please strike my name from the register of members with immediate effect,” says the letter dated November 8.
Last week, Kieni MP Kanini Kega and Water Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa challenged Mr Kenneth to dissolve his party and join Jubilee to demonstrate his resolve to support the re-election of President Kenyatta. However, Mr Kenneth rebutted: “I have no party to fold, I do not own any party. I am just a member and I have submitted my resignation to the Registrar of Political Parties, after which I will be joining JP as a member.” On Thursday, Ms Ndung’u confirmed that her office had received Mr Kenneth’s letter. “The letter is very clear and straightforward. We normally have seven days to consider the notice and we have effected it,” she said by phone. The decision to quit Congress was to avoid the costly and lengthy process that Mr Kenneth would have had to undertake to dissolve his party. As a member of the Jubilee Party, he will fight against a team of rivals who have ganged up against him. On Monday, Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko, MPs Dennis Waweru (Dagoretti South) and Johnson Sakaja (nominated) and former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru agreed to block Mr Kenneth from contesting the Nairobi governor’s seat.
By KENNEDY KANGETHE, NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 6 – Former Gatanga Member of Parliament Peter Kenneth who contested the Presidency in 2013 is considering leaving his party, the Kenya National Congress, to join Jubilee Party in support of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election. Kenneth is however yet to decide which gubernatorial seat to vie for but has narrowed it down to Nairobi, Nakuru and Muranga counties. Speaking at a church service in Dandora, Kenneth said he would make a decision in ten days.
“It’s a question of managing expectations, what’s clear right now is that I am supporting Jubilee, I don’t even have to bring my party on board, I can actually quit and join jubilee immediately,” Kenneth said.
He however criticised Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero’s administration saying that they have failed.
“Governor Kidero has failed the people of Nairobi, everybody has eyes, the city of Nairobi is deteriorating I think anybody can do better than Governor Kidero,” he stated.
Kenneth dropped his bid to vie for the Presidency in 2017 in support of President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto. Kenneth vied for the Presidency in the last General Election on a Kenya National Congress (KNC) party ticket and came up fourth. Already 11 parties have folded up to join the President Kenyatta led Jubilee Party. Already former Cabinet Minister Raphael Tuju has been appointed as the head of the Jubilee Party secretariat with the task of planning and organizing meetings and rallies to explain Jubilee agenda.
The Nairobi gubernatorial seat has already drawn a long list of Jubilee aspirants among them Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko, Dagoretti MP Dennis Waweru, and former Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru; setting the stage for a tough nomination exercise.
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2016/11/peter-kenneth-mulls-going-jubilee-all-the-way/