Jubilee Party has made official their plans to enter into a coalition deal with Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement party.
In a press statement on Tuesday, August 17, Jubilee’s Secretary General Raphael Tuju announced that Jubilee party’s National Management Committee (NMC) has permitted the party secretariat to formally engage with ODM and draw the coalition deal.
The coalition, he said, is meant to strengthen the March 2018 handshake between President Uhuru and Raila Odinga.
Other than the handshake, Jubilee has decided to enter into the pre-election coalition deal with ODM because of their reliability in the passage of critical bills in parliament.
Raphael Tuju revealed that Jubilee will also be reaching out to KANU Party, with which they have a preelection coalition deal to notify it of the latest development.
“With this decision, the Jubilee Party will be formally writing to its coalition partner KANU as required by our coalition agreement to seek their engagement,
“The NMC and parliamentary leadership also authorized the Secretary General to formally write to Wiper Democratic Party with whom Jubilee party has signed a Memorandum of cooperation about this decision,” read a press statement from the party.
The coalition talks with Raila Odinga’s ODM party had taken a short break after Jubilee lost the Kiambaa by-elections.
The party’s deputy Secretary General Joshua Kutunny then revealed that the break was to allow Jubilee to re-organize itself, so as to enter into the coalition strong.
However, the coalition deal comes amid reports that President Uhuru Kenyatta has named Raila Odinga as his preferred successor.
In a meeting held at State House on August 8, the Head of state asked One Kenya Alliance Principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi, Moses Wetangula, and Musalia Mudavadi to drop their presidential ambitions and support Raila.