Jubilee Party rushes to conclude consensus between aspirants

The Jubilee Party has less than 24 hours to resolve pending nominations for elective seats including governorship in Nyandarua, Kirinyaga and Nairobi counties.

Negotiations between Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia and former Water Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki have hit a deadlock.

The party is now left with little options as no nominations by the ballot can be conducted after Friday.

The party has pulled out all the stops to avoid fallouts within the party from the primaries, preferring consensus building to mini-polls.

Party officials have this week been presenting nomination certificates to different aspirants while fostering negotiations for those not yet concluded.

In Murang'a County, former Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau will fly Jubilee’s flag for the governorship seat.

Kembi Gitura will try to reclaim the Senate seat that he lost in 2017, while journalist Waithera Muitherania will be seeking the Woman Representative seat a second time on the ballot, this time on a Jubilee ticket.

In Nyandarua County, Governor Francis Kimemia is holding to the muscle of incumbency as the party seeks consensus between him and former Water CS Sicily Kariuki; each believes they have the best chance to beat their opponents in rival parties including UDA and Chama Cha Kazi.

The party is yet to resolve the county’s Senatorial ticket even as Esther Muhoho secured the Jubilee ticket to seek the Woman Representative seat.

In Kirinyaga County, the situation is similar to Nyandarua’s; Deputy Governor Peter Ndamberi who hopes to dethrone his boss Anne Waiguru is seeking to do so on a Jubilee ticket at a time current Senator Charles Kibiru is laying claim to the same.

While all other seats have been resolved and nomination certificates awarded, this remains a thorn for the party. Former Senator Daniel Karaba will be seeking a comeback while Rose Wachira is eyeing the Woman Representative seat.

In Nyeri County, Senator Ephraim Maina has secured Jubilee’s ticket for governorship, while Priscilla Nyokabi, a former Woman Representative, will seek the Senate seat. Njeri Njori hopes to clinch the Woman Representative seat.

In Nairobi County, the Jubilee Party still faces an uphill task to contain ambitions of two men and two women; Governor Anne Kananu is facing competition from Richard Ngatia, Agnes Kagure and former Deputy Governor Polycarp Igathe.

This too is unresolved, and even more complicated by the Azimio la umoja equation. The apparent preference for Igathe has infuriated aspirants in the Jubilee party and Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi of ODM.

The affected political parties have until the end of Friday to resolve this. And as they do so, they must also sort out the issue of ODM's Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and MP Maina Kamanda who are both eyeing the Senate seat through their respective parties.

In the meantime, the Wiper Party has cleared former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to contest the Mombasa governorship seat, picking Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo to deputise him as running mate.

The two, if cleared by IEBC, will face ODM’s Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir and UDA’s Hassan Omar at the ballot.