Jubilee re-brand bid causes divisions within ruling party
The planned move to rebrand the Jubilee Party is causing divisions with a section of MPs accusing the leadership of taking it as personal property by sidelining others while making major decisions.
Last week during a meeting attended by among others vice-chairman David Murathe, secretary-general Raphael Tuju and his deputy Joshua Kutuny, resolved to have the party colours and logo changed.
Kutuny reportedly said the party’s current colours, red, yellow, black and white, were derived from Uhuru’s The National Alliance (TNA) and Ruto’s United Republican Party (URP).
But the MPs who included Peter Mwathi (Limuru) and Ngunjiri Wambugu (Nyeri Town) termed the move as so drastic to be made in a boardroom by a few officials.
Proposed changes
Mwathi said he was aware of the proposed changes and called on the party top hierarchy to involve other leaders while making far-reaching decisions.
“I heard the news through the media. This is an important move by the party which needs to be discussed in a forum attended by the top party organs, not a few officials,” Mwathi said during a morning show on Kameme TV.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Wambugu said changing the colours and logos of the party because of some members’ departure means some members are bigger than the outfit itself which is untrue.
He maintained Jubilee is about unity as shown by the two clasped hands on its logo adding the colours also work perfectly for the members and there was thus no need to change them.
“A party logo and colours cannot be changed every time some members leave (or join).
Our parties must now be bigger than any individuals within. Unless we are saying that we will be changing our party logos and colours every time someone leaves (or joins) the party.
Let’s not fall into the trap of making some people look bigger than they,” he said.
However, the lawmaker argued the DP had decided to propagate ideologies of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), hence the need to make Jubilee completely independent.
The party will also change its slogan of ‘TUKO Pamoja’ which loosely means ‘we are together’.
Kutuny said the rebranding process is expected to be completed by September.
But while dismissing the reports, Murathe asked Kenyans and the media to stop reading much into their meetings.
