The Jubilee party has officially asserted its independence and distanced itself from any political coalition, including Azimio la Umoja and Kenya Kwanza.
The interim party leader, nominated MP Sabina Chege, made this declaration during a press briefing at the Bomas of Kenya, where they submitted their memoranda in support of ongoing bipartisan discussions.
Chege clarified that the Jubilee party had submitted documents to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, outlining their political stance, which emphasizes that they have no formal agreements with any political coalition.
“Our position is that we are an independent political party, and we want to be represented as the Jubilee party. Today, we’ve just come to submit our documents, and hopefully, we get an opportunity to express our views on the issues,” stated Chege.
In their memoranda, Chege highlighted key issues they wished to address during the talks, starting with the organization and independence of political parties.
She argued that the affairs of any political party should not be interfered with, especially after a General Election, and parties should be allowed to make decisions independently, as interference has affected their representation in Parliament.
“You cannot stay in a coalition or marriage where you feel like you’re being mistreated, and that’s what happened to the Jubilee party. You know what happened after the elections,” noted Chege.
The second issue in their memoranda concerns the inclusion of the 2/3 gender representation in government, which they want to be realized not only at the national level but also at the county level.
“We support the issue of gender representation in the National Assembly and also in the counties. We should not focus solely on the National Assembly, but we hope that this issue will be addressed everywhere,” she stated.
Regarding the creation of the office of the opposition leader, Chege mentioned that Jubilee proposed the second contender after an election to become the official leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, while their running mate would be the leader of the opposition in the Senate.
Jubilee also advocated for a comprehensive framework to regulate anti-government protests, particularly after elections, emphasizing that those responsible for property destruction during demonstrations should be held accountable.
Currently, a 10-member bipartisan team is working to address a five-point agenda, including constitutional matters, electoral justice, financial provisions in the Constitution, the establishment of state offices, and adherence to political parties and the laws governing multiparty democracy.
Azimio la Umoja’s dialogue team, led by Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, and Kenya Kwanza’s team, led by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, are actively engaged in these discussions, aiming to resolve tensions between the government and the opposition.
