BATTLE OF POSITIONS IN TNA'S KIRINYAGA.

BATTLE OF POSITIONS IN TNA'S KIRINYAGA. JANE MUGAMBI 18TH NOV 2012. Battle Supremacy over the control of The National Alliance party (TNA) took center stage in Kirinyaga County,when two rival groups collided at Sagana Country club with each group claiming to be the bonafide’ party officials. One group led by Finance minister Njeru Githae converged at Sagana town where they were conducting party elections in the hall when a rival group stormed in threatening to disrupt the meeting led by John Mithamo better known as Wasusana from GNU. The youths said that TNA should not force other parties in Mt Kenya region to dissolve saying that they have a right to belong to a party of their choice pledging support for party presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta. Led by Wasusana who is vying for the Ndia parliamentary seat said that they are fully behind TNA presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta but urged him to avoid forcing other parties to dissolve. “We are all from Kirinyaga County and so the meeting which was called on Friday discriminated against those that are not TNA members. I am in GNU and so no one is supposed to force us on a certain party” added Mithamo In today’s elections which were conducted in absence of national party officials nominated councilor Muriithi Kang’ara was elected chairman his Vice is Michael Ndegwa, youth leader is John Irungu Goko, women leader position given to Mary Wagakure and the secretary is Nahashon Mugo Those elected as interim official on Sunday at Roswam hotel supervised by party secretary general Oloo Onyango were John Gathungu, vice Jamlick Ndege secretary James Waweru Gachibiri treasurer Munene Magondu organizing Moses Waweru Mugo secretary in-charge of finance Eric Muriithi Muchina, The rival groups engaged in a war of words which turned violent at some point prompting police to be called in to calm the situation. The rowdy youths were forced to move out of the venue and later the meeting went on amid high tension and Finance minister Njeru Githae joined the meeting after the youths had left. Addressing the meeting Githae played down the elections held on Sunday saying that those who participated in the elections were not members of TNA saying that those elected today were the bonafide party officials calling them bogus people. “Kirinyaga County including DP, Narc Kenya, KANU, GNU, and PNU have unanimously agreed to ditch their parties for TNA” added Githae after meeting some defectors from different leaders. Contacted for comments party Secretary General Oloo Onyango said that the genuine elections were held on Sunday where he officiated them saying that the list that he has is of Sunday and not any other group citing that those that conducted there meeting on Saturday, as they were invited and declined to attend the meeting and any other party officials were not recognized by the party headquarters. “We held elections for interim officials on Sunday. All aspirants were invited therefore any other purported elections are null and void. Those elections had no national headquarters representative as overseers. “ said Oloo via a phone message. “I personally conducted scheduled constitution of party structures and officials on Sunday. Anyother could be anything legitimate. The ones I recognise are the ones that I supervised” said Oloo Onyango in an SMS replying to several messages posed to him after the parallel elections It remains to be seen what direction the TNA politics will take in Kirinyaga county. Narc-Kenya chairman James Kibicho said that the finance minister is not sup-posed to generalize party’s defectors saying that they are individuals who are defecting to TNA for their own greedy reasons. He said that remarks being made by finance minister Njeru Githae are not true but propaganda. “The people who are said to have joined TNA after defection are not genuine party leaders and the finance minister is not supposed to generalize that its party’s that have been dissolved as the party’s are dissolved from the headquarters not county or district levels. The defection is just but propaganda” said Kibicho. He said that the flower party is still intact and has members who will be contesting several seats with it. “I am in the flower party, I have not defected and more so Githae needs to come out clean and tell Kirinyaga people that its individuals and not party dissolution” he added. Ends…