Confusion over Ford Kenya leadership as it emerges Gazette notice still stands

The Registrar of Political Parties has refuted claims of withdrawing a Gazette notice on the intention to change Ford Kenya party officials.

This negates a statement from Law Society of Kenya President Nelson Havi (lawyer for embattled Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula) that the RPP recalled a gazette notice which published Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi as the new party leader.

“The correct position as advanced at the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) on Friday, June 12, 2020 is that the Gazette Notice still stands for purposes of its intent under Section 20 of the Political parties Act, 2011,” the statement from RPP reads.

The new development is bound to send to disarray Wetangula’s plans to discipline a section of party members who planned his ouster.

He had asked Wamunyinyi, Dr Eseli Simiyu (Ford Kenya Secretary General) and Cynthia Mutere (the party’s woman league chair) to issue an apology or face a disciplinary committee.

According to Wetangula, 14 signatures that were collected for his ouster were from imposters who are not members of the Ford Kenya National Executive Committee.

Wetangula’s ouster and his replacement with Wamunyinyi was published in a Gazette Notice No. 3893 dated June 8.

The RPP also noted that the party’s National Organizing Secretary Chris Mandu Mandu had been replaced with Josephine Waungu.

“Any person with written submissions concerning the intended change by the political party shall within 7 days from the date herein deposit them with the Registrar of Politic al Parties,” read the notice.

Ford Kenya’s National Executive Council on May 31, 2020 resolved to dismiss Senator Wetangula as party leader on the grounds of gross misconduct.