Lucas Barasa
6 November 2008
Nairobi — Kanu leaders struck a deal on Thursday that would see former Baringo Central MP Gideon Moi become the party's secretary-general as it prepares to comply with the Political Parties Act.
Chairman Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Moi also buried their differences at a national executive council (NEC) meeting attended by four Cabinet ministers.
Parties Act
The party, whose fortunes dwindled in the run-up to last year's General Election following Mr Kenyatta's move to lead it in backing President Kibaki's re-election bid, re-united on Thursday at a "house-keeping" meeting as the clock ticks towards the deadline for compliance with the Political Parties Act.
The Act requires all parties to file annual returns, have registered officials and members in all the districts, among other things.It came into effect in July and parties are to adhere to it by December 31.
On Thursday, NEC members who included Special Programmes minister Naomi Shaaban, Defence minister Yusuf Haji and Education minister Sam Ongeri agreed to fill all the vacant positions in the party.
Most of the positions fell vacant following a mass defection of officials to ODM and ODM-Kenya last year.
The secretary-general slot fell vacant following Eldoret North MP William Ruto's move to ODM. Organising secretary Gideon Ndambuki joined ODM-Kenya.
Mr Haji, Dr Shaaban and Prof Ongeri are earmarked for top positions in the party to help market it in their regions.
The Thursday meeting at Kanu headquarters in Nairobi agreed to present proposals for filling of posts to the national governing council for ratification.
The proposals would then be taken to the national delegates conference, which is the party's top decision-making organ for adoption.
The party's constitution states that its elections should be held after every five years.
The constitution, the NEC agreed, is to be changed to allow it to also participate in activities of other parties like PNU as a corporate member to comply with the political parties law.
Rejuvenate
Officials, however, said the party would not hold grassroots elections as others were doing since it had done its polls in 2005 and others would be held in 2010.
By fronting Mr Moi for the secretary-general's position, Kanu hopes to rejuvenate itself in its former Rift Valley stronghold.
Sources said it is retired president Daniel arap Moi who proposed Gideon for the post in a bid to return him to active politics after losing the Baringo Central parliamentary seat in last year's elections.
The young Moi has been vocal in the recent past, criticising Kanu's leadership slumber as other parties worked round the clock to comply with the new law and in readiness for the 2012 elections.
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