Tribunal nullifies Kenta's appointment as Jubilee secretary-general

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal has nullified Koitalel Ole Kenta’s appointment as Jubilee Party secretary-general after finding he was not a registered member when appointed.

Ina judgement rendered on Friday by the tribunal chaired by Innocent Muganda found that Kenta lacked the requisite party membership at the material time, rendering his nomination and appointment unlawful.

“The proposed secretary-general is not a member of any registered political party. We consequently find that the nomination and appointment of the sixth respondent as secretary-general was unlawful for want of the requisite party membership at the material time," Muganda led bench ruled.

It also faulted the Registrar of Political Parties for failing to exercise its oversight role in the appointment of the Jubilee Party official.

“The Registrar’s finding carried significant weight because the office was the custodian of the statutory register of political party membership. The party did not dispute the finding but instead moved to regularise the membership that was said to have been absent," the tribunal stated.

Kenta was named secretary-general in January, replacing Jeremiah Kioni, who moved to become the party's second deputy leader.

The finding on Kenta’s appointment, however, means Jubilee Party will have to address the secretary-general position afresh after the tribunal found that he lacked the requisite membership when he was appointed.

The decision followed a complaint filed on June 19, 2026, by former Ndaragwa MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, who challenged changes made to the leadership of the political party.

Lawyer Moses Mabeya, representing Wambugu, challenged the legality of Jubilee Party’s leadership changes, arguing that the process through which the officials, including Kenta, were appointed and subsequently recognised did not comply with the Constitution, the Political Parties Act and the party’s own constitution.

Wambugu told the tribunal that his objection was not directed at any individual office holder but concerned the legality, transparency and constitutional propriety of the process used to effect the changes.

He said he had previously sought clarification from Jubilee on its governance structure, leadership arrangements and internal democratic processes but received no meaningful response. This prompted him to approach the Registrar of Political Parties for information and records on the party’s leadership.

At the centre of the dispute was a letter dated March 3, 2026, from the Registrar of Political Parties’ office, which recorded that the proposed secretary-general was not a member of any registered political party.

Jubilee Party disputed this, asserting that the respondents were members of the party prior to their appointment.

In its determination, the tribunal also considered whether changes to party officials take effect immediately or only after completion of the statutory notification and publication requirements.

It said political parties are required to notify the Registrar of Political Parties of changes to their officials and publish the notification in a daily newspaper with nationwide circulation and on the party’s website.

“Based on the foregoing, a change of a political party official is effected by the political party on the 14th day after publication in a daily newspaper and the political party's website,” the tribunal held.

The tribunal said the 14-day period is intended to allow for dispute resolution, particularly where the changes followed elections.

It clarified, however, that the waiting period does not prevent a party from recognising an appointed or elected official or allowing them to attend meetings and functions in their new capacity.

“The 14-day period also allows for any dispute resolution to be undertaken, especially where elections were involved,” the tribunal said.

On the Registrar’s role, the tribunal held that the regulator retains powers to reject changes submitted by a political party.

“However, we also find that the agency partially retains a veto power over the changes by virtue of section 25 of the PPA and can refuse to recognize the changes sending the political party back to the drawing board,” it held.

On other changes to Jubilee Party officials, the tribunal found that they should have taken effect from March 10, 2026, being 14 days after publication of the relevant notice in a national newspaper on February 23, 2026.

It consequently held that the affected officials could not be faulted for holding themselves out as appointed officials from the effective date.