UDA Planning To Avoid Jubilee Drawbacks

By Clinton Ochieng

Deputy President William Ruto will have the exclusive right to choose his running mate if he chooses to run for the presidency on United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket.

According to the UDA constitution, a presidential nominee has the exclusive right to pick a running mate after getting the go-ahead of the National Delegates Conference (NDC).

This is not the case in the Jubilee constitution that requires the presidential candidate and his/her running mate to be nominated together at the NDC.

The UDA party leader will not be the automatic presidential candidate. The constitution allows members to pick anyone to fly the party’s flag.

The UDA constitution provides for three deputy party leaders, three deputy chairpersons, three-party deputy secretary generals, three deputy national treasurers, and three national organizing secretaries.

The party constitution gives members powers to petition for a Special Delegates Convention while the parliamentary leadership can hold meetings that do not have to attend by the party leader.

This seems to have been brought about by what the DP and his allies have gone through in the ruling coalition where most of the Tangatanga leaders have been sidelined, ejected from parliamentary committees, and even stripped off their leadership roles in the Jubilee Party.

UDA’s constitution provides for the establishment of a disciplinary committee at the national level unlike Jubilee’s which provides for the establishment of a similar organ at the county level.

Both  Jubilee and UDA constitutions provide that the parties’ dissolution must be approved by at least two-thirds of the NDC, Jubilee party, however, is not specific on how the process is to be conducted.