A rejuvenated, reorganised Party seen as an alternative fallback for anti-Ruto movement set to hit the road

A rejuvenated and reorganised Democratic Party, seen as an alternative fallback for the anti-Ruto movement, could soon hit the road.

The party has a new team of leaders and has rejigged its youth wing, known as the Young Democrats.

The new officials are Njeri Njoori (national vice chair), Wambugu Nyamu (deputy secretary general), Jacob Haji (secretary general), Moses Ololowuaya (national treasurer), Dr Njagi Kumantha (organising secretary).

Former Livestock minister Joseph Munyao is the party leader.

The Young Democrats team are led by Lawrence Kariuki, Florence Mukami (organising secretary) and Geoffrey Akumali.

They are trying to popularise DP ideals, as crafted by its founder, Kibaki, in sittings countrywide.

The former president founded the Democratic Party with an agenda of economic sustenance and empowerment of Kenyans.

The DP, though warning against early political campaigns, says it will present a presidential candidate in the next election.

DP chairman Esau Kioni said, “The party has a large room for those who are or will be orphaned in their current parties.”

He said the party has has not raided Nasa or Jubilee in the hunt for members.

Kioni said the party has registered members in at least 25 counties. “We are in Western, Rift Valley, Nyanza, Coast, Central, and Northeastern,” he said.

“We are not into politics at the moment as elections are still far. But when that time comes, we will certainly be ready to work with parties that share in our ideals,” Kioni said.

In 2017, the DP did not fold into Jubilee but endorsed Uhuru’s reelection.

Ahead of the 2013 vote, Uhuru and Ruto rode on a joint ticket. The agreement then was that Ruto would automatically succeed Uhuru at the end of his term.

But the situation has changed in the face of moves to trim the DP’s powers. Matiangi’s appointment demonstrated that that all is not well between Uhuru and Ruto.

Matiang’i heads the National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee. His work is to supervise national government programmes and projects, seen partly as a strategy to achieve Uhuru’s Big Four and clip Ruto’s wings.

 

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