Disunity rocks DAPK as petitions target Wamalwa, Natembeya

The three and a half year old Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) is in the throes of a bitter power wrangle pitting its party leader, Eugene Wamalwa and Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya   

Tensions of this simmering row broke out in public yesterday. The DAP-K Secretary General Eseli Simiyu told a press conference after a National Management Council (NMC) meeting in Nairobi that there is "serious disunity" among members of the party. 

He said the party had received several petitions- some urging members to remove the party leader Eugene Wamalwa, while others called for the ouster of Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya from his current position as the Deputy Party Leader. 

According to Simiyu, the meeting was to deliberate on the concerns by some members of NEC who had lodged complaints to his office, compelling him to issue a notice of National Governing Council meeting to "change the party constitution and leadership structures.

Other issues raised were the credibility of the eligibility of some NEC members holding offices and calls for their ouster. 

"The NMC has deliberated and found that there is therefore a serious disunity between members of the party...The NMC has therefore decided to refer all the petitions to the internal dispute resolution mechanism to hand this urgently,' he said 

He spoke on Friday after a lengthy crisis National Management Committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Karen, Nairobi, which had Governor Natembeya in attendance, by failed to appear during a briefing with reporters. 

This comes hours after DAP-Kenya Parliamentary Group raised concerns over reports of a coordinated effort to destabilise its leadership through a hostile takeover. 

The MPs alleged that a scheme had been hatched by external forces through one of their leaders, even as they told off critics. They pledged support for Wamalwa. 

“Any effort to launch an unconstitutional takeover of DAP Kenya, targeting Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa and the national leadership, will be met with resolute resistance. We are aware of his newly formed political party and caution him against attempts to destabilise DAP-K as he makes his exit,” they said in a statement on Thursday. 

“DAP-K is not just the 5th largest party in Kenya but has been the most stable and consistent party in fighting corruption, social injustice, human rights, and constitutionalism,” the statement partly read. 

The simmering jitters are seemingly occasioned by Natembeya's calls  for reforms in the party, saying "the party belongs to the people" and that they are "going to rebrand it with a national outlook." 

“The small murmurs you are hearing from DAP-K are about those who are conservative and those who want to be liberal and want to rebrand the party so that it is not only for Western Kenya, so that we have other voices. Politics is not about Western Kenya,” Natembeya said on Tuesday.

And while acknowledging wrangles within his party, Wamalwa on Friday downplayed the plans of his ouster, saying he does not feel intimidated by those eyeing his position.

"I don't feel threatened at all. We are a democratic party. We have said anyone who wishes to run for any seat in our party is free to do so," he said

He said the party will institute a tribunal to hear the concerns in a bid to find solutions to the differences.

"And we have space and mechanisms to resolve any dispute. So there's nothing we can't handle because we are seasoned and we can chew gum and scale the stairs at the same time," said Wamalwa even as he assured members of unity despite the wrangles.

"We are telling our members and supporters not to be troubled. We are handling these things, and we'll be able to resolve these disputes," he stated. 

He said the main focus of the party is to prepare itself for the upcoming by-elections, with Malava Constituency as their priority, urging the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to move with speed in conducting the by-elections.  

"We are saying IEBC must proceed with speed, give clear roadmaps. Beginning with by-elections, we need to know when we're going to have this by-election," he said. 

He revealed that the party will work with its affiliates within the "united opposition coalition" to field a joint candidate in the race. 

'his is going to be a litmus test for unity as the united opposition. That's the way we are managing our internal disputes through the internal dispute resolution mechanism. As the coalition, we are equally setting in place mechanisms of resolving disputes," he said.