Koitalel Ole Kenta has lost his position as Jubilee Party Secretary General after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal found that his appointment did not meet the party’s membership requirements and ordered the party to begin the process afresh.
The tribunal ruled that Kenta was not qualified for the position when he was nominated, appointed and later recognised as Secretary General in March 2026, rendering the entire process invalid from the start.
“It is declared that the nomination, appointment and recognition of the sixth respondent (Hon. Koitalel Ole Kenta) as Secretary General of the first respondent (Jubilee Party) was unlawful and void ab initio,” the tribunal ruled.
A panel headed by Innocent Muganda also cancelled Kenta’s appointment and recognition, giving Jubilee Party the option of conducting a new process to fill the Secretary General position in line with its constitution and other applicable requirements.
The ruling followed a case filed by former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, who challenged a series of changes to the Jubilee Party leadership and the decision by the Registrar of Political Parties to recognise the new office bearers.
Wambugu, represented by lawyer Moses Mabeya, argued that the changes had not been handled through a proper process and violated requirements on fair administrative action under the law and the Constitution.
The disputed changes included the listing of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as Deputy Secretary General, together with several other officials whose positions had been recorded by the Registrar as recognised Jubilee Party office bearers.
Wambugu named the Registrar of Political Parties, Matiang’i, former Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, Vincent Mogaka Kemosi, Kenta, Zack Kinuthia, Yasir Noor and Dann Mwangi as respondents in the case.
The former MP said he had formally objected to the changes but the Registrar went ahead with recording them without first allowing him to respond or clarify whether the issues surrounding the changes had been resolved.
“Despite the Applicant (Ngunjiri) being the party who lodged the statutory objection, the 2nd Respondent (Registrar of Political Parties) proceeded to adopt and record the impugned changes without notifying, consulting, hearing, or seeking clarification from the Applicant regarding whether the dispute had in fact been resolved,” the former MP argued.
However, the tribunal did not uphold all the complaints raised by Wambugu, saying some of the claims against other officials were based on speculation rather than enough evidence.
It rejected arguments that certain officials should be found unqualified simply because records relating to their eligibility had not been produced.
“The tribunal is not satisfied that a failure to produce records without more can found an affirmative finding of disqualification in respect to these respondents,” it said.
According to the tribunal, there was no clear evidence showing that the other officials either satisfied or failed to satisfy the required qualifications.
The panel also dismissed the complaint concerning the gender rule, holding that the allegation had not been proved by the evidence presented before it.
Kenta’s case was different, however, with the tribunal finding that there was enough basis to overturn his appointment because he did not satisfy the party’s membership requirement when he was appointed.
The decision effectively removes the March 2026 appointment and leaves Jubilee Party to decide whether to reopen the process for selecting a Secretary General.
If the party chooses to fill the position, the tribunal directed that the process must be carried out afresh and in accordance with the Jubilee Party constitution and the applicable legal requirements.