Deputy president William Ruto faced a political shocker after more than 500 delegates from his United Republican Party (URP) Bomet branch decamped to Governor Isaac Ruto’s Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party.
Through their leader Nicholas Kirui, the delegates expressed their displeasure with what they referred to as ‘hand-picking’ of delegates to attend the planned party dissolution.
“As bona fide delegates elected from the grassroots, we are dismayed at the turn of events that saw us locked out of the URP national delegates’ meeting,” said Mr Kirui.
They decried the ignoring of laid down party procedures by local branch members and members of parliament from the county, saying that they locked them (delegates) out of the conference on selfish grounds.
“What happened to the laid down procedures in the party constitution regarding individuals who should attend the National Delegates Conference? This could be a message that we are unwanted in the party anymore and we have decided to chat our own political path from today,” said Kirui.
The delegates have vowed to popularise their new party in the area and said that they were going to ensure it sells to the entire nation.
The fall-out comes at a time URP and TNA are trying to woo other parties into their Jubilee fold and this will be a big blow to the deputy president who was recently quoted as trying to unite the country through merging of parties into fewer and more powerful ones.