Speaker Muturi Blocked from Joining Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal has blocked National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi from joining the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, which is led by Deputy President William Ruto.

The court barred the speaker from signing a pact with the alliance following a plea from Democratic Party officials.

“A temporary injunction restraining the respondents from further discussing, ratifying, perpetuating or in any other way promoting the purported coalition agreement with the 3rd Interested party,” tribunal members Samuel Nderitu and Adelaide Mbithi ordered on Thursday.

The judgment also granted an interim injunction prohibiting the Registrar of Political Parties from registering any document purporting to be a coalition agreement that includes the Democratic Party of Kenya as a signatory.

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“A temporary injunction restraining the 1st Interested Party from registering any document purporting to be a coalition agreement with the Democratic Party as one of the signatories,” they added.

The orders are valid until Friday May 20, 2022 when the Tribunal shall render a final decision in the matter.

Party officials have also threatened to remove Muturi from his position as DP party leader, claiming that he does not adhere to the party constitution.

DP officials said that during the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC) on February 20, led by director of elections D. K. Munene, they resolved not to support or join any coalition before August 9.

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Muturi’s choice to join and support Kenya Kwanza, according to Munene, is a personal decision, not a party position.

‘‘We are happy with the orders issued by the tribunal since they confirmed what we have always been saying, Muturi has no authority to take the party to Kenya Kwanza,” he said.

“If any of the officials wants to join the coalition, let them do so in their individual capacity,’’ he added.

In April, a petition filed in court claimed that the former Siakago MP seized the role of DP party leader in spite of opposition from other party officials.

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“The respondent had not paid the subscription fees and most importantly, he had not been a member of the party at least a year prior to the said appointment,” the petitioners argued.

“The respondent has been running the affairs of the party in secrecy and has deliberately concealed information on the signed resolutions of the National Delegates Convention held on 20th February 2022.”

The coalition agreement was characterised by the complainants as a dishonest appropriation of the NDC’s and other organs’ authority to make decisions on behalf of the party.

The petitioners also asked the tribunal to order the freezing of the Democratic Party’s two bank accounts in order to conduct an audit into alleged financial mismanagement.

Muturi signed a pact with Kenya Kwanza alliance on April 9.