Democratic Party has castigated Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria for allegedly using the party symbol and logo in his recent photos as the de facto presidential candidate despite being a Jubilee member.
In a recent Facebook post, Kuria posted a photo of him in colours believed to be of Jubilee Party, indicating that his 2022 bid for presidency is unstoppable.
DP Deputy Secretary General Wambugu Nyamu disavowed knowledge that the Gatundu MP had engaged the party over the matter of his candidature.DP, he said, had not endorsed Kuria as its 2022 presidential candidate and neither had he engaged the party about the same.
“DP has an elaborate process on how to nominate its presidential candidate with a requirement that any presidential candidate for DP must be a DP life member, of which Kuria is not,” Nyamu said.
DP National Chairman Esau Kioni said that the move was a surprise for DP and affirmed that the MP had not contacted the party, neither was he a member. "It hit us on the face that someone who is not a member of the party had declared himself as a candidate in our party."
But Mr Kioni insisted that Mr Kuria could still decamp Jubilee for DP where he would face delegates in case he's interested with the party ticket ahead of 2022 polls.
However, Kuria has reiterated that his posts have nothing to do with the party, even though he admits that it's one of those party's he's considering to run from as presidential candidate.
"I have never declared which party I will vie on. I am interviewing various parties to assess which one is close to my vision and agenda for this nation. DP is on that shortlist. Let them relax. The process will take some time and they will be notified of the outcome through formal channels," said Kuria.
The party was founded by retired President Mwai Kibaki who unsuccessfully used it to vie for Presidency in 1992 and 1997. He formed a coalition with LDP and Ford Kenya in 2002 before winning the seat.
In 2007, Kibaki moved to PNU which he used to run for his re-election. Since his exit, the party, which used to be popular in Central Kenya, has been struggling to stamp his authority.