The Democratic Party (DP) has dismissed National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi’s move to join Deputy President William Ruto ahead of the polls.
On Saturday, April 9, Muturi led the DP in signing a pre-election agreement with the-yet-to registered Kenya Kwanza coalition at a hotel in Karen.
However, on Sunday, April 10, DP National Executive Committee converged an emergency meeting where the party’s officials said they were not consulted.
While terming Muturi’s move as null and void, the DP party said the move by the speaker was against declarations made at the party’s National Democratic Congress earlier this year.
“We made declarations during the NDC and Joining Kenya Kwanza was not among them. As an individual, he is free to join whichever camp but he cannot make that decision for the party alone. He does not have the powers to do that,” DP Secretary-General Wambugu Nyamu said as quoted by the Daily Nation.
In September 2021, the DP approached Justin Muturi and made him the official party leader, in a move that would see him fly the party’s flag in this year’s presidential elections.
At the time, Muturi, who had expressed his interest to vie for the presidency in this year’s General Election, had no party and was considering vying as an independent candidate.
While inking a pre-election deal with Muturi, the deputy president said the deal is a culmination of lengthy talks between the Kenya Kwanza Alliance and the DP over the past couple of weeks.
“I am proud Kenyan that we are today joined by a party that has a history in the Republic of Kenya. A party that has had s footprint in the transformation journey of the country having been led at one time by former President Mwai Kibaki,” William Ruto said.
