PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA SIGNS BILL PAVING WAY FOR JUBILEE MERGER

By David Muli

The Political Parties (Amendment) Act, which paves the way for  Jubilee has been signed into law. President Uhuru Kenyatta assented to the new law yesterday as 14 MPs welcomed his decision.

Deputy President William Ruto

 The MPs said the Act would give party members a chance to vie under one big party. The Act provides a road map for merging  of political parties.MPs spoke in Eastleigh, where they accompanied Deputy President William Ruto to open a Huduma Centre and lay a foundation stone for a Technical Training Institute.

 Addressing the gathering, Mr Ruto said the Act gives Jubilee and  associate parties an opportunity to unite and form one indivisible party that they will use in the 2017 General Election. The vice-president also expressed concern about the 300,000 IDs which were lying uncollected in Government offices. Adding that the government is in the process of  doing a pilot project that would digitization the issuance of IDs in order to hasten the process of documenting National IDs.

MPs who welcomed the news were Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji), Rachel Shebesh (Nairobi), Dennis Waweru (Dagorreti) and Maina Kamanda (Starehe). Others are Mary Wambui (Othaya), Ali Farah (Mandera East), Stephen Kariuki (Mathare), Benson Mutura (Makadara), Waithaka Waihenya (Roysambu) Kabando wa Kabando (Mukurwe-ini), Mohammed Shidiye (Lagdera) and Sonia Birdi.