Former Nyeri Town MP and Jubilee Party member Ngunjiri Wambugu has urged the Jubilee party to resolve the dispute surrounding Secretary-General Koitalel Ole Kenta by restarting the appointment process rather than prolonging the internal leadership battle.
Wambugu said the dispute should not be viewed as a personal contest involving Kenta but as a question of whether the process used to fill the Secretary-General position complied with Jubilee’s constitution and membership requirements.
“The issue before us is not Kenta as an individual. It is the process through which the office of the Secretary-General is filled,” Wambugu said in a statement shared on Tuesday.
His remarks come after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal nullified Kenta’s nomination, appointment and recognition as Jubilee Secretary-General, finding that he did not meet the party’s membership requirement at the time he was appointed. The tribunal declared the process unlawful and void and directed the party to undertake a fresh process if it wished to fill the position.
Wambugu, who had challenged changes to Jubilee’s leadership, said the party had a right to challenge the tribunal’s decision through the courts but argued that there was another way of resolving the dispute.
“Jubilee has every right to challenge that decision through the courts. But there is also a simpler path; Fix the process!” he said.
He proposed that Jubilee undertake a fresh, transparent and constitutionally compliant process to fill the Secretary-General position.
Wambugu said Kenta could still be considered for the position if he currently meets all the applicable requirements.
“The Party can easily undertake a fresh, transparent & constitutionally compliant process to fill the position — including considering Kenta again if he now satisfies all the applicable requirements,” he said.
The dispute has added to leadership challenges within Jubilee as the party prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Wambugu said the party needed certainty in its leadership structures and greater confidence in decisions made by its organs as it prepares for the next electoral cycle.
“With 2027 approaching Jubilee needs certainty in its leadership, respect for its Constitution & confidence in the decisions of its organs. We cannot afford otherwise,” he said.
His comments come as the dispute moves to the High Court after Jubilee and Kenta challenged the tribunal’s decision.
On September 21, Justice Janet Mulwa issued interim orders allowing Kenta to remain in the Secretary-General position pending the hearing and determination of the application. The parties are scheduled to return to court on October 15 for compliance and/or highlighting of their submissions.
The legal dispute was initiated by Wambugu, who challenged changes made to Jubilee’s leadership and their subsequent recognition by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties. The tribunal found grounds to invalidate Kenta’s appointment but declined to grant some of the other reliefs sought by Wambugu, including challenges concerning other officials.
Wambugu, however, maintained that Jubilee should focus on resolving the procedural dispute and rebuilding the party rather than allowing the disagreement to consume its leadership.
“We should spend our energy rebuilding Jubilee not fighting over a procedural problems that can be corrected,” he said.
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